I'm by Your Side
by FoxTrustsNo1
Summary: Not for the faint of heart: JERZA with Grayza intrusion (JERZA for life, though!), plus the Dragon Slayers are on a mission to find out how to select and secure a mate because none of them were ever told. Jerza, LaLu, slight Gajevy, a surprise crack!ship, and hints at future Gruvia. M for language and non-explicit adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the next installment in my Riders on the Storm AU. It isn't necessary to read Riders on the Storm to follow this story.**

* * *

"Watch out, Erza!"

Gray Fullbuster tackles his teammate to the ground, and they both narrowly miss being backhanded by a Forest Vulcan. They remain on the hard ground, Gray atop Erza, and watch as Natsu and Taurus take out five Vulcans by barreling into them like two bowling balls.

At the sound of a small cough, Gray looks down at Erza, blushing slightly when she raises an eyebrow at him. "Uh, sorry."

Gray removes himself from Erza, offering her his hand to help her up.

Erza accepts, and when she is standing, brushes off her armor and skirt. She looks on as Lucy sends Loke to help Natsu and Taurus knock out the last of the Vulcans and round up the pigs that they stole from one of Magnolia's farmers.

"It seems they have this well-in-hand." Erza chuckles as Natsu launches himself at one of the pigs, which moves just fast enough that Natsu ends up with a face-full of dirt.

"Think we should help them?" Gray asks, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Nah."

While they are busy snickering, a pig runs straight at them, knocking them both to the forest floor again, this time with Erza on top of a blushing Gray.

"That beast!" Erza hisses furiously. She stands, helps Gray to his feet, then stomps her foot, and demands, "Stop running!"

The pigs all freeze, and Gray worries for a moment that they all had heart attacks.

"Line up!" Erza points at the ground in front of her. The four pigs scramble to obey, and once they are single file, Erza turns on her heel toward Magnolia, commanding, "Follow me!"

Half an hour later, the pigs have been returned to their owner, Team Natsu has been paid in fresh eggs to last them each a week, and the team are on their way to their various homes. Lucy, Gray, and Erza walk along the street together, talking about the many things they are going to make using their fresh eggs: Lucy is going to make French toast and banana bread, Gray is going to make omelet muffins, and Erza is going to make cake.

"Of course." Gray smirks.

"Is there something wrong with cake?" Erza demands.

Gray gives her a sideways glance and shakes his head. "Nothing at all."

"That is correct. Now, all I will need are fresh strawberries."

"Oh, have you ever been to that market over by Book Land?" Lucy asks. "They have great produce!"

"Thank you, Lucy; I will try it tomorrow."

"Actually, I've already got some," Gray offers. "I won't be able to eat them all before they go bad; I can bring them over to you."

"Nonsense. You live on the way to Fairy Hills; I'll just stop at your place on my way home."

"O-okay." Gray nods.

"See you guys later!" Lucy waves goodbye as she turns toward the guild hall.

"Bye!"

Gray and Erza continue West, walking a little closer than they had been before.

"I haven't seen Juvia for while," Erza says, breaking their comfortable silence. "Tell me about you two, Gray."

Gray trips over a cobblestone and nearly falls, except Erza catches him by the shoulder, pulling him back to his feet.

"We, uh…there's nothing to tell."

"I see. You still can't tell her your real feelings, then?" She asks with an amused shake of her head.

Gray blushes furiously and looks at the ground. His heart is pounding so loud and so fast he wouldn't be surprised if Erza could see the outline of it against his bare chest.

"I, uh, did tell her my real feelings," he says morosely.

"Oh?" Erza sounds genuinely surprised. "I understand; that's why she has been away."

"Yeah," Gray sighs forlornly. "I think I hurt her real bad."

"Probably." Erza replies with just a hint of indignation thrown in.

Gray looks at his friend for a few seconds, then turns back to the street. "I don't love her, Erza. I mean, I do…you know, as a guild mate. But I'm not _in_ love with her."

"That's a shame." Erza shakes her head. "I know she comes on strong, but she is a woman worthy of loving."

"I know that." Gray grits through his teeth. "I'm not the only man in existence, you know. Someone else will love her like she deserves."

"I agree." Erza nods.

"You do?" Gray looks at her in surprise.

"Yes. She has never considered anyone but you, and perhaps it is time that she did. She should not torture herself."

"Exactly."

"But you should have told her a long time ago."

"You mean other than every single day?" Gray asks tensely.

"You could have been clearer," Erza says, anger seeping into her voice.

"How?" Gray exclaims. "How do I get any clearer than, 'Leave me alone!'? Huh?"

"You strung her along, and you know it!" Erza shouts suddenly, making Gray tense up. "You lived with her for six months! You mean to tell me that nothing happened between you two?"

"That's right! And if you recall, I ditched her for another six months without a word of explanation."

"How could you, Gray?"

" _You_ asked me to!" Gray shouts back. "To run interference between you and Jellal!" He says Jellal's name with a heavy dose of mockery, and Erza gasps in shock. "You're so interested in me and Juvia? What about you and that tattooed blueberry? We ran that op for an awful long time, Erza; what happened between the two of you?"

Erza winces.

"That's what I thought: you chickened out, or he did, and you decided to call me up and put me to use as your buffer. You even put me in between your rooms! Explain that to me, Erza." Gray practically snarls at her, and somewhere in the back of his head, he is telling himself to calm the fuck down, but he is too far gone. "Tell me!"

His shouting jars Erza from her shock, her features taking on a feral look as she unconsciously crushes the eggs in her arms, and growls, "Fuck you, Gray!"

Gray's survival instincts kick in full force, making him jump away from her. Erza rarely swears—certainly not _that_ word—so when she does, Gray knows that she's about to pull out a sword and behead someone...like him.

Erza sneers at him with contempt, and walks briskly away from him, her fists clenched at her side. Just as she disappears behind the last row of houses before the hill leading up to the dormitory, Gray punches the brick wall nearest him; his skin splits at the knuckles, and blood streams through his fingers and around his fist.

He rests his head against the wall and swears.

* * *

 _The Next Morning_

Erza sits in front of her mirror, brushing her long, red hair until it shines. Normally when she gets a lacrima-text from Meredy that she and Crime Sorcière are near Magnolia, and implying that she'll insist they stop by the guild hall, Erza's gut bubbles with anticipation. This morning, however, her gut is roiling with anger; anger at Gray, at herself, and at Jellal.

 _Why is it that Meredy always has to insist that they stop, hmm? They've all been pardoned, dammit!_

 _He's busy._

 _Excuses!_

Erza exhales slowly as she sets her hairbrush down on the vanity with exceeding gentleness.

 _Meredy was probably just joking; texts are notoriously difficult to interpret._

 _You dumb b—_

Erza steadfastly ignores this voice, choosing, instead, to focus on how often Jellal has been visiting Fairy Tail in the last few months. Sure, he was training Lucy, but he and Erza definitely spent a lot of quality time together.

 _What does Gray know? Neither of us 'chickened out'!_

Her chest constricts a little at the thought of Gray, and she quickly pushes him from her mind.

Though she and Jellal are not as far along as she wishes, after talking with Lucy about Laxus, Erza is sure that Jellal is just a little insecure, too, and maybe even intimidated.

As Erza looks at her wardrobe, she decides to forgo her typical skirt and (intimidating!) armor, opting for a pair of jeans and a plain yellow t-shirt. She has always felt that yellow complements her red hair nicely, and brings out her violet eyes. She even puts on some mascara and pink lip gloss, though she feels silly doing so. Sometimes she just wishes her team would let her do things differently without making a big deal about it. Invariably, Natsu will demand to know why she looks so weird, Lucy and Wendy will giggle, and Gray will tell her she looks nice before he punches Natsu in the face.

Well, maybe Gray won't be so complimentary today.

Erza leans her forehead against a wall and groans when she can't push out the thoughts of Gray again.

How could she let herself get so carried away? He was just being honest with her, sharing things she knew he would never share with another, and she attacked him for it. Worst of all, she blurred the lines between him and Jellal, and made him pay for her frustrations with the tattooed mage.

She immediately begins stalking through her rooms of armor and weaponry, searching for the piece she knows he's admired for years. She finally finds it: a broadsword made of the finest steal, with a handle gilded in gold. Erza loves this sword, but Gray and Team Natsu are far more important, no matter how much Gray's implications offended her.

 _Why_ did _you invite Gray on that mission?_

"He was tailor-made for that mission!" Erza shouts aloud.

 _Why couldn't he tell Juvia?_

 _We were trying to protect her; plausible deniability and all._

 _Really?_

 _Fine! I should have let him tell her._

 _Why did you put him in the room between yours and Jellal's?_

Erza grunts and slams her fist down on her vanity, cracking it in two.

"Damn." She mutters, wondering if she can have it repaired, even as she watches the mirror topple forward and shatter on the floor.

She sighs, and starts picking up the glass.

 _There goes your wish…for the next seven years._

 _Silly superstition._

To prove she puts no stock in such things, she makes another wish that Jellal will choose to stay in Magnolia this time. Or maybe invite Erza to accompany him and Crime Sorcière for a while. It wouldn't be entirely out of the question: Lucy and Laxus's marriage has already begun to change the dynamic of Team Natsu, as well as that of the Raijinshu, making Erza's absences less meaningful. After all, Laxus is S-class, too, and he'd do anything for Lucy, including go on missions with Natsu and Gray.

Not that Lucy and Laxus have been taking a lot—or any—missions lately; they've been married for a month at this point, and they still hardly leave their lake house for more than a few hours at a time. Erza shakes her head and smiles at the memory of their wedding; she had been so upset at their elopement in the train station, but it had turned out to be a beautiful ceremony, during which she had bawled her eyes out.

An unsettlingly large part of her heart hurts as she remembers wishing that Jellal would look at her the way Laxus looked at Lucy. Even just once. She doesn't understand: she had always been secure in her feelings for Jellal, and in his feelings for her. Then he was pardoned, and that all changed because nothing changed: Jellal continued his nomadic lifestyle with Crime Sorcière, his sporadic and limited communication with Erza, and his infuriating stoicism when he did bother to come around.

Not to mention that the last time he was in Magnolia—two weeks ago for Lucy and Laxus's reception—he left unexpectedly during the celebration. He didn't even say goodbye.

Erza looks at herself in the mirror again and deflates, her head falling forward and her shoulders drooping.

 _What are you doing, Scarlet? You can't just waste your life waiting for Jellal to sweep you off your feet, waiting around for him to spare you a moment like you're a puppy eagerly awaiting the return of her human._

 _That is too harsh._

 _Is it?_

 _Yes! I do not wait around like a puppy! I take missions, I vacation with my friends; I have a life outside of him._

 _By all appearances, sure; but, on the inside, you only ever think of him._

 _You're just being stubborn._

 _If you mattered to Jellal, you wouldn't have to chase him, or wait for him._

Erza shakes her head vigorously, then does a few jumping jacks to clear her mind. She does not need her so-called conscience bringing down her mood. Erza starts forcefully humming her favorite song in order to drown out that pesky little voice still trying to rain on her parade.

 _Juvia._

Suddenly, Erza's brain is inundated with memories of the Rain Woman's obsessiveness over Gray: making dolls, cookies, and shower loufas in his likeness; following him around everywhere he goes; counting the number of days she's known him.

 _I am not like Juvia!_

 _Oh, no? In love with a blue-haired mage whose favorite activity is walking away from you?_

 _Shut up!_

 _Maybe it's time to take your own advice and move on._

Erza huffs, grabs a pink zip-up hoodie and the broadsword, and slams the door behind her.

When she steps outside, she freezes in her tracks: Gray is leaning sullenly against the entrance gate at the end of the path. He looks up sheepishly at Erza, then walks slowly toward her, silently asking if it's okay to approach her. Erza just stands there, but her head nods slightly of its own accord. He eyes the broadsword warily the closer he gets, but doesn't let that stop his approach.

"Erza, I'm sorry about yesterday." He holds out a very large bowl of freshly washed and cored strawberries with a smaller bowl of melted chocolate in the middle. "I should have kept my mouth shut." He smiles softly at her, saying, "You look pretty…as usual."

When she can't seem to make any words come out, Erza just throws her arms around Gray. He returns her hug, inhaling deeply.

"I'm sorry I got so mad at you." Erza finally finds her voice.

"It's o—."

"Don't say that." Erza shakes her head. "It isn't okay: I treated you poorly, and behaved childishly." She holds out the sword to him, giggling when he jumps back. "I have something for you, too."

"Your broadsword?"

" _Your_ broadsword." She holds it out to him again. He takes it tentatively, still giving her a disbelieving look.

"You're giving this to me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I messed up bad, yesterday. I want you to know how sorry I am."

"Erza, you don't have—."

"Do you accept my apology?"

For a moment, Gray looks like he's not sure what to do, but he soon breaks into a smile, and says, "Of course. Do you accept mine?"

"Of course!" Erza shouts boisterously, then takes the bowl of strawberries from him and shoves a handful into her mouth. She stops mid-chew and grabs the wrist belonging to Gray's bandaged hand. "Ut a'end?"

"What was that?" Gray smiles affectionately at her, pinching her cheek cutely.

Erza rolls her eyes, finishes swallowing, then asks, "What happened?"

"Scraped it." He shrugs.

Erza gives him a dubious look, but links her arm with his, and starts walking toward the guild, asking, "Do you know how to use a broadsword?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me that."

* * *

 **I don't know why I'm torturing myself with this fic, but it seriously won't leave me alone, so I've given in to it...like a chump. I swear, though, that I am working to make it as stellar as I know how so that at least the pain of an angsty Jerza/Grayza triangle will be worth it in the end.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Aw, come on, Jellal!" Meredy jumps in front of her leader, walking backwards.

Normally, Jellal secretly loves that Meredy trusts him enough to tell her if she's about to run into a tree or trip over a rock. Right now, he is too busy trying to remain calm to appreciate his teammate's confidence in him. He knows he shouldn't be as angry as he is, but the last couple of weeks have proved nothing if not that the progress he thought he had made is just an illusion.

"We were just there for the wedding reception." Jellal says tersely, shaking his head.

"So?"

"So, we will lose too much time."

The excuse sounds weak even to Jellal, but he has nothing better.

"One of these days, Jellal," Meredy stops abruptly, slamming her palm against Jellal's chest, and speaking more sharply than she has ever spoken to her leader before, "you're going to realize that you're spending all your time on the wrong things."

Jellal looks down at her hand, the thought of how easily her wrist would break crossing his mind. When he looks into her face and sees the surprise, and the briefest hint of fear, he still has enough presence of mind to know that he must leave immediately.

"Go." He says to Meredy, and, by extension, the rest of Crime Sorcière, before disappearing.

He has no idea where he will go; certainly not to finish the "mission" they'd be on, which was based on the whisper of a rumor about a crotchety old witch who might live near Raging Volcano. That had just been the excuse his unconscious had used to get him closer to Magnolia; closer to Fairy Tail; closer to Erza.

He flinches just at the thought of her name. At the same time, the mere thought of her name fills him with a lightness so profound that he wonders that he has ever been able to leave her physical presence. Only now, there is another name indelibly attached to hers in Jellal's mind: Gray Fullbuster. And Gray's is not a name that inspires the best of Jellal's nature; not by a long shot.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Ago_

Jellal sits quietly near the front doors of the Fairy Tail guild hall, watching with amusement as the members of Fairy Tail unfurl a mural of a giant Laxus and a giant Lucy bloodily defeating a chibi as their opponent. Not surprisingly, the newlyweds are not taking kindly to this treatment, and Laxus is already breathing out threats against the artist and the other guild members.

A flash of red catches Jellal's eye as Erza jumps onto the stage that has been set up for the dancing portion of the celebration. Jellal can't stop the broad grin that is spreading across his face as he listens to her proclaim passionately that the prize for winning the upcoming splatterball contest is the pride of knowing you're the best in the guild.

She has always been oblivious to the material things of the world, even at the Tower of Heaven. When Jellal and the others would daydream about things like new clothes, fancy houses, and the like, Erza would always sheepishly say she just wanted to be strong enough to save her friends.

Jellal's gut clenches as he thinks about how he denied her that wish for so many years, and denied it with finality in Simon's case. He is still haunted by those years that he was possessed, the things he said, the people he hurt…murdered. He still struggles to understand how Erza can even look at him, let alone let him kiss her, but as she calls his name, telling the guild to register their team alliances with him before the contest, he just can't bring himself to dwell on such dark matters; not when the light of his life is smiling so brightly at him.

A few hours later, everyone has returned to the guild hall covered in a variety of chalk colors, leaving a fine haze in the air. Laxus is soaking wet from being pushed in the lake by Asuka, and is threatening to beat Natsu if he doesn't stop insisting that he can dry Laxus's clothes without burning them. Most members have finished at least one round by now, meaning that the place is just getting started. It isn't long before Gajeel is up on the stage, trying to sing a duet with Mira, much to the chagrin of Mira's followers.

Jellal, ever the drama queen, finds a dark corner to sit in to watch the goings on, content—happy, even—to be here, but not quite sure how to take part in the joviality. He looks carefully around him, and, finding no one near, pulls a small box out of his pocket. The ring isn't nearly as big as Lucy's, but neither are Jellal's savings as vast as Laxus's; fighting dark guilds doesn't pay much, though Jellal has spent the last year taking as many paying missions as possible so that he can be at least somewhat financially stable when he asks Erza to marry him.

Despite his fears, despite his self-loathing, Jellal wants to be with Erza more than anything. Watching her face as Lucy and Laxus exchanged vows two weeks ago convinced him that he couldn't wait any longer, and that she might not wait any longer for him. He had almost proposed on the spot, but hadn't wanted to share the day with Lucy and Laxus, as fond of them as he is. So, he has been biding his time, waiting for the right moment.

Perhaps tonight.

"Hey, Jellal!" Lucy skips over to him, grabbing him by the hand just after he has successfully hid Erza's ring back inside his pocket. "What are you doing in the dark, creeper?"

He laughs, saying, "Is that any way to speak to your sensei?"

"To my sensei!" Lucy shouts as they join Team Natsu, the Raijinshu, and Crime Sorcière across four tables.

"To Jellal!" Everyone shouts, Erza's voice carrying especially loudly over everyone else's.

It isn't long before Gray and Bickslow are engrossed in a name-calling match where they alternate through letters of the alphabet, interrupting Sorano's story when they get carried away.

"Gack-breath!"

"Hose-brains."

Sorano, who has a sadistic streak even when she's sober, is just drunk enough to border on the edge of cruel as she steps behind Gray to tease him.

Bickslow stops suddenly and stares at Sorano over Gray's shoulder. Gray turns to see what stopped their match, and ends up with a face-full of Sorano's breasts. He blushes beet red, but before he can pull away, Sorano clamps her hand down on his shoulder so that he can't move. She stares tensely down into his eyes and asks,

"Am I boring you?"

"N-no." Gray starts shaking his head, but quickly stops the impulse, lest he rub his face in her breasts in front of everyone.

"Sorano." Jellal admonishes lazily, pulling an evil smirk from his guild mate.

Sorano releases Gray, stepping back so that the poor boy can breathe again.

Bickslow smacks Gray on the back, saying, "Incubus."

Gray turns an ever deeper shade of red, making the large group roar in laughter. Once they have died down a little, he replies, "Jealous?"

This pulls another round of laughter from the group, and Bickslow puts his hand to his chin as though he's thinking very hard.

"Knucklehead."

"Lughead."

And then the two are off again as though they'd never been interrupted.

A couple hours later, Jellal has just finished washing his hands when Gray stumbles into the bathroom. The ice mage leans over a sink and splashes his face with cold water. Jellal, a little drunk himself, and sensing that Gray didn't notice him, can't pass up this opportunity to mess with the kid.

"Sorano likes you."

Gray nearly jumps out of his skin, but does a good job of hiding it. Jellal's chuckle dies on his lips when Gray turns to him with a look of deep hatred.

"Erza loves you," Gray accuses.

"Yeahhh?" Jellal replies stupidly.

"Do you love her?" Gray demands, though his tone implies that he believes the answer is 'no.'

Jellal is so caught off-guard by Gray's hostility—no, by the fact that he never noticed it biding its time beneath Gray's surface—that he just gapes at the shirtless man. Gray sneers contemptuously, and shouts,

"Then get the fuck out of the way and let _me_ love her!"

Jellal's eyes narrow at Gray, and he can feel his magic seeping out dangerously. The kid is drunk enough to think he has to stand his ground, but not so drunk that he hasn't recognized the precariousness of his situation. Jellal tries to rein himself in, using every breathing technique he can recall, even as his body moves of its own accord and starts circling with Gray's.

"I hate you." Gray snarls.

"Likewise." Jellal manages tersely, too much of his energy being devoted to keep at bay images of Gray loving Erza to try to settle this rationally. In a fit of callousness, Jellal thought-projects four projections of himself, surrounding Gray with them.

Gray is so confused that he whips his head around in every direction. As drunk as he is, the motion brings him to his knees almost instantly, where he retches all over the bathroom floor.

The five Jellals all watch him disdainfully for a moment, then the projections each cast a minor version of Meteor, circling Gray ruthlessly. The real Jellal stands back and watches with satisfaction as the ice mage suffers.

 _Get rid of him,_ a small but strong voice whispers. _No one will know it was you._

Jellal cancels his thought-projections, and stands in front of the weak, retching Gray. He puts his boot under Gray's chin, tilting his head back at an unnatural angle. Gray's eyes stare back at Jellal, still as full of hate as earlier, reflecting Jellal's own hate and anger.

The same hate and anger that allowed him to be possessed by Zeref's power as a child. The same hate and anger that forced friends and strangers alike to build the Tower of Heaven. The same hate and anger that made him try to sacrifice Erza.

Jellal sneers at Gray, but removes his boot from under his chin, letting his face land hard against the bathroom tile.

Then Jellal is gone.

* * *

Jellal hasn't seen or spoken to Erza since. Hell, he hasn't spent much time with his own guild, even. When Zeref died, Jellal thought his worries were over: he had gained a lot of control over himself even when Zeref was still alive, and with his death, there was no chance of a recurrence. What he failed to take into account was that the only reason Zeref had been able to possess him in the first place was because of the intensity of his hatred for his captors. That hatred existed outside of Zeref, and Jellal finally had to come face to face with that ugly truth thanks to Gray.

Jellal shouts in frustration, and moves his hands downwards toward the earth, then raises his right one toward the sky. Dark clouds gather, circling quickly until the winds are near-hurricane force, and a glowing orange orb appears in the center. The orb falls quickly to earth, shaking everything within two miles, and leaving a crater big enough to swallow Fairy Tail's guild hall.

Or, just Gray.

* * *

"Laxus." Gajeel crosses his arms over his chest as he stares down at Laxus, who is necking with Lucy in one of the booths.

Laxus grunts and waves Gajeel away, far too engrossed in Lucy's skin against his lips to realize that Gajeel has never approached him before.

"I'm talkin' to you, Thunder God." Gajeel smashes his fist against the table, leaving little indents from the studs on his gloves.

Laxus sparks slightly as he turns his stormy gaze on the smaller Dragon Slayer.

"I gotta talk with you. Alone," Gajeel says.

"Later."

"Now."

Laxus growls, and clenches his fist, which is surrounded by lightning. "Didn't anyone ever teach you any manners?"

"Spare me, your highness."

Laxus growls again, but Lucy puts a calming hand on his forearm.

"Just go with him, babe. It seems important, even if," she gives Gajeel a reproving glance, "he might have approached you more effectively."

Gajeel rolls his eyes.

Laxus shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose. Lucy purses her lips together in an effort not to laugh. When Laxus opens his eyes, they are no less irritated, but he says, "Fine."

Lucy kisses Laxus on the cheek, saying, "I'll ask Mira to keep your stuff warm in the oven."

Laxus kisses Lucy on the lips until she whimpers, which is when he pulls away with a wicked grin. "See ya 'round."

"Jackass." Lucy mutters.

Both Dragon Slayers chuckle as they walk outside behind the guild hall.

"What the hell's so important?" Laxus demands.

Gajeel blushes, but looks determined. "How did you and Lucy mate?"

Laxus pulls back, momentarily shocked. Once that wears off, though, lightning sparks around him, and he grabs Gajeel by the throat.

"Lucy's and my sex life is none—!"

"Not…sex!" Gajeel gasps.

"Then what?" Laxus releases him, and Gajeel leans against the guild hall to steady himself.

"Fuck, man!" Gajeel rasps.

"Get over it. What the hell else could you mean by 'mate'?"

"You're a fucking Dragon Slayer! Things are different for us." Gajeel looks incredulously at Laxus. "You really married Lucy without knowing if she's your mate?"

" _How_ are things different?" Laxus demands, panic starting to grow in his gut.

Gajeel blushes again, and looks down at his feet. "I don't know, exactly; that's why I asked you."

"Shit." Laxus rubs the back of his head anxiously.

* * *

Lucy leans her chin into her hands, still staring at the guild doors even though Laxus disappeared through them at least five minutes ago.

Levy plops down on Lucy's right, saying, "What's up, Lu?"

"Hey, Levy!" Lucy snaps out of her funk.

"Have you read the new Rick Castle book?"

"You two read Rick Castle?" Evergreen appears suddenly, taking a seat across from them.

"Uh…"

"Good morning!" Erza exclaims exuberantly as she makes Evergreen scoot further into the booth so that she and Gray can sit down.

"You're happy this morning." Lucy smiles.

"Strawberries." Erza nods, tossing another handful of the red fruit into her mouth.

Gray tries to hide his smile, but Lucy can't miss the way his chest puffs up in pride. Laxus does the same thing whenever Lucy compliments him. Lucy is about to tease Gray about it when Mirajane shows up with enough food to feed an army.

"What happened to Laxus?" Mira asks.

"He ditched me for Gajeel." Lucy sighs. "So the rest of us are gonna eat his food."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Gray says around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "I'm starving!"

"Wow, Titania." Evergreen smirks airily at Erza. "Jellal must be stopping by today."

Gray chokes on the eggs, slamming himself hard in the chest a couple of times, but it isn't until Erza smacks his back that he can breathe properly again. He shoots a look at Erza that Lucy can't figure out, then Erza looks at Evergreen with a little irritation.

"I don't wear make-up only when Jellal is around."

"Is that the mascara I gave you for your birthday?"

"Yes."

"That was seven months ago; if you still have some left, you don't wear it very often. Like, about as often as a certain blue-haired hunk shows up."

Erza bites her lip against her smirk, but, ultimately, can't stop herself from chuckling and blushing. "He will be here this afternoon."

"I'm gonna get a drink," Gray mutters.

"Has anyone seen Cana?" Mira asks when she brings the table some more silverware. "She's usually halfway through her first barrel by now."

"I knocked on her door this morning," Levy answers, "but she wasn't home. She might have joined Gildarts on a mission."

"If she did, she should have told me." Mira huffs.

"We'll keep an eye out for her, Mira." Lucy smiles. "Don't worry!"

"Thanks, Lucy."

"Hey, where did Gajeel and Laxus go?" Levy asks Lucy. "Did they say?"

"Nu-uh. Gajeel didn't tell you, either?"

"Nope; I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon. He's been acting very strange lately."

"Tell me about it: he was real agitated when he approached Laxus. And even Laxus was a little flustered when they left." Lucy scrunches her face up in worry. "Maybe we should follow them."

"Good idea." Evergreen's eyes dance with mirth. "The two Dragon Slayers will never catch on to you."

"Point taken." Lucy sighs.

"I'm sure they're fine, Lu. We don't need to worry."

* * *

"How the hell should I know how the Dewey Decimal System works?" Laxus crosses his arms indignantly. "You're the one dating Levy; why don't you know? Better yet, why don't you just ask Levy to help us?"

"She can't know anything about this." Gajeel growls.

"I don't even know what I'm doing here," Laxus sighs and leans against a bookshelf while Gajeel searches said shelf in vain. "Lucy and I are married, and that's never gonna change."

"How do you _know_?" Gajeel asks desperately.

"Because I married her," Laxus says simply.

In his heart, Laxus knows he's speaking the truth. But something about how unhinged Gajeel is acting has Laxus on edge. What if his and Lucy's future isn't as assured as he thought? What if this stupid Dragon Slayer shit gets in their way? He wonders if the lacrima can be safely removed. Even if it can be, would he still be the same person without it? Would he revert back to the sickly body of his childhood? Would Lucy accept that, or would his efforts to keep her be what drive her away in the end?

 _Fuck Gajeel and his stupid Dragon Slayer mating shit._

"What if she ain't your mate, though? What if some other woman—?"

"Finish that sentence and I'll fucking kill you." Laxus growls so fiercely that Gajeel backs up a couple steps.

The librarian, however, cuts Laxus a chilling glare, and shushes him.

"Why do you think I'm freakin' out, man?" Gajeel whispers. "I want to be with Levy more than I want to take my next breath, but nothin's happened! I always assumed instinct would just take over and whatever mating thing was s'posed to happen would just happen. But it hasn't. So what if I marry her, and she ain't my mate? I would sooner gut myself with my own steel than do that to Levy. I have to be sure."

"Why do you think Dragon Slayers are different, anyway?" Laxus asks a little nervously.

"Metallicana said somethin' 'bout it once. Somethin' cryptic like, 'A Dragon Slayer's mate is made for him.' Or some shit like that. I was a kid, I wasn't payin' attention."

"Have you asked Natsu?"

Gajeel and Laxus both burst into laughter, breaking the tension between them

"SHH!" The librarian hisses at them.

"Let's go: we're not gonna find anything here," Laxus says as he walks toward the door.

"Go where?" Gajeel asks once they're outside.

Laxus sighs and shakes his head. "To find the dweeb."

* * *

 **I sort of hate myself for this story, but sometimes you just gotta write what you hate/fear/makes you angry. This is not going to be an angsty tome, however, and will be regularly broken up by more light-hearted sub-plots.**

 **I love reviews when they address my writing, for good or for bad, but if you're just going to rant against Jerza or Grayza or the fans of either ship, don't waste your time, because I won't post them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I forgot to mention in the last chapter that Rick Castle is the name of the main character from the TV show _Castle._**

 **Also, all rights to Fairy Tail belong to Hiro Mashima**

* * *

 _"Have you asked Natsu?"_

 _Gajeel and Laxus both burst into laughter._

 _"SHH!" The librarian hisses at them._

 _"Let's go: we're not gonna find anything here," Laxus says as he walks toward the door._

 _"Go where?" Gajeel asks once they're outside._

 _Laxus sighs and shakes his head. "To find the dweeb."_

* * *

"Cana? CANA!" Natsu shakes the naked woman beneath him. "Cana, are you okay?"

"Natsu," she says dazedly, "don't you know you're s'posed to let a woman enjoy her post-orgasmic euphoria?"

"Huh?"

"I'm okay," she says, smiling at him.

Natsu breathes a sigh of relief, then a decidedly-male grin of pride spreads across his face.

"I thought I might have killed you with that one." He teases, and kisses her on the nose.

"I can't think of a witty retort yet, but just you wait, Dragneel."

Natsu laughs, letting his forehead rest against Cana's chest. He loves her chest; loves her sense of humor; loves—

"Mm, I love the way your laugh vibrates through me," Cana hums.

Natsu nips playfully at the side of her breast, saying, "I'm not surprised you like vibration."

"Asshole." She mutters.

Natsu grins up at her, blushing slightly at what he's about to say. "Is that an insult? Or are you telling me where to go next?"

Cana squeaks and blushes bright red.

Natsu laughs loudly and plops down at Cana's side, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I've never seen you do that before." His tone is oddly grateful.

"No one has."

Natsu moves some hair behind her ear before kissing her earnestly. He loves kissing Cana, can't get enough of it. Sometimes he thinks that if that's all she allowed, he would be happy with that. Other times—like now—he's sure he'll lose his mind if he doesn't get back inside her soon, so he grinds his hips against Cana's thigh.

"Already?" She asks breathlessly.

"Hmm," Natsu purrs. "Dragon Slayers recover quicker than other people." Natsu climbs on top of Cana again, nipping at her neck. "One day, I'll recover quick enough to have multiple orgasms." He looks heatedly down into Cana's eyes, and asks, "Wanna help me train?"

"Only if I get to be on the receiving end of your success."

Natsu kisses her fiercely, making her gasp in surprise. Natsu has the strongest desire to just merge with her, body and soul, and presses his whole body tightly against hers in a futile attempt to do so. Fuck, he needs to be inside her! When he finally pulls away, they are both breathless, and Cana's eyes are out of focus.

Natsu breathes against her ear, "You're the only one I w—."

"Salamander!" Gajeel's voice booms a split-second before he kicks in Natsu's door.

"Eeek!" Cana squeals.

Natsu covers Cana quickly, then jumps from his bed, so fired up that he's already engulfed in flames. Natsu rushes at Gajeel, and headbutts him outside, where he crashes into Laxus.

"Huh? What the hell are you two doing here?" Natsu's fury is temporarily abated by his confusion.

"Put some clothes on!" Laxus growls.

"You break into my house and think you can tell me what the fuck I'm s'posed to wear?" Natsu shoots back, surprising Laxus and Gajeel. "What do you want?"

"Since when did you grow a pa—?" Laxus stops abruptly and sniffs the air. Gajeel does the same, and their eyes grow wide. Laxus grabs Gajeel by the scruff of his neck and starts walking away with him.

"Let the fuck go of me!" Gajeel growls.

Laxus lets go of Gajeel with a push forward. Over his shoulder, he says to Natsu, "South Gate Park, ten minutes."

Twenty minutes later, Natsu sulks into the East Entrance of South Gate Park, where Laxus and Gajeel are waiting. The two give Natsu Cheshire-Cat grins as they look down at him.

"Cana, huh?" Gajeel begins.

"Didn't think—."

"Shut up." Natsu growls angrily, his eyes burning.

Unfortunately, the extra ten minutes it took him to get here hadn't been filled up by filling up Cana; they had been spent listening to her hyperventilate about Laxus telling Lucy. Natsu has tried for months to convince Cana that Lucy won't care, but Cana is convinced that Lucy will hate her. After all, Natsu and Lucy had been tentatively trying to date when he got together with Cana.

"Lucy can't know."

"Think she'll be jealous, do you?" Laxus asks dangerously.

"Duh, of course not!" Natsu rolls his eyes. "But, Cana doesn't want her to know."

"Lucy'll kill me if she finds out I didn't tell her." Laxus shrugs as if to say, 'sorrynotsorry; I'm telling her.'

"Cana said you'd be concerned about that, and told me to ask you if you'd be more concerned about Lucy finding out about Cana's nights with _you_."

"Shit," Gajeel whispers pityingly.

"She's bluffing," Laxus says with false bravado. "If she's so scared about Lucy finding out about her best friend, Cana wouldn't dare tell Lucy about her husband."

Natsu shrugs.

"You're awfully calm about Laxus tagging your woman, Salamander." Gajeel prods.

"Shut your fucking mouth." Laxus gnashes his teeth at Gajeel.

"Laxus is with Lucy. I'm with Cana. Who cares about Laxus and Cana?" Natsu asks sincerely.

Natsu has long known that Cana and Laxus were each other's booty calls for a while. With the super-heightened senses of a Dragon Slayer, there aren't many things about his guild mates that he _doesn't_ know, which is one reason he acts so oblivious at times: he wants to give people their privacy, even if it's just an illusion.

"He obviously doesn't have what we're looking for," Gajeel says to Laxus. "She ain't his mate."

"The fuck do you know about mates, rusty?" Natsu snaps, several small balls of fire shooting from his mouth. Natsu will not tolerate anyone questioning his devotion to Cana.

"Interesting." Laxus muses. "Maybe the twerp does have some information."

"Cana's your mate?" Gajeel is incredulous.

"Why not?" Natsu shrugs. "Wait a sec," he grins wide, "are you gonna mate with Levy?"

"If I fucking knew how!" Gajeel exclaims.

"Well, the penis usually goes in th—HEY! THAT HURT!"

Natsu tackles Gajeel to the ground, and the two wrestle and jockey for position as Laxus doubles over in laughter against a tree. Natsu and Gajeel wail on each other at every opportunity, using elbows, fists, and foreheads. They are both bleeding and bruised when Laxus finally settles down and grabs them by their collars. He yanks them away from each other, and sets them on their feet, still chuckling.

"Well, Gajeel: Natsu seems to think that Dragon mating involves sex."

"You know about the ritual, then?" Gajeel demands.

Natsu sighs, and his shoulders slump. "No; Igneel never told me. He said he'd tell me when I grew up, but…that never happened."

"Yeah, you're still as childish as ever." Laxus teases good-naturedly.

Natsu smirks at him. The Lightning Dragon Slayer sure has come a long way since Fantasia, and especially since getting together with Lucy. He has spent a lot of time with Team Natsu in the last few months, showing off a side that neither Natsu, nor anyone else in Fairy Tail, thought he possessed. Hell, Natsu even likes the guy most of the time.

"Metallicana never said anything to me," Gajeel grunts.

"He probably figured you couldn't understand it, bolt-brain." Natsu laughs.

"As if you could understand it any better, flame-brain!"

"Shut up!" Laxus commands. "If neither of you know about it, we'll have to go to Sabertooth."

"What? Why?" Natsu demands; he has no intention of leaving Cana for that long.

"Get on a train when we can just call them?" Gajeel points out like Laxus might be stupid.

"And risk someone listening in on five Dragon Slayers talking about love, and sex, and sappy shit? I don't think so."

"Luce, was right: you are controlling." Natsu wonders.

"Gihee! Is that how Lucy likes it?"

Gajeel ends up with a mouthful of dirt and two large lumps on his head for that one.

* * *

Gray rests his head on his arms and grunts. He can see Erza over there with the other women, laughing and talking about Jellal. Fuck, Gray hates that douchebag. The guy has been a free man for over a year, but is still out traveling with Crime Sorcière like a bachelor with no one to tie him down. Gray has watched the toll it's taken on Erza, and his anger grows with every passing day. Watching the way she's started changing her appearance—more makeup, softer hair, different clothes, _parfumes_ —or the way she tries not to get excited when a text comes in, or disappointed when that text isn't from Jellal; it all makes Gray so damn angry!

Angry enough that he knows he confronted Jellal about it, though he was also drunk enough that he can't quite remember what happened. He has a distinctly creepy memory of Jellal's face, contorted with rage, though. Gray had woken up sprawled out on the bathroom floor, Bickslow shaking him and slapping him across the face.

Gray hasn't seen Jellal since. From what he understands, no one has; he didn't even say goodbye to Erza, which only confirms Gray's hatred for the mage.

 _As if you're any better._

 _What?!_

 _You're a hypocrite. You're mad at Jellal for stringing Erza along all these years? What about you and Juvia?_

 _I never let Juvia think I loved her!_

 _You took years to deny it, though._

 _I did not!_

 _You were a jerk to her, but you never really turned her down, so she just kept hoping, waiting. Just like Erza with_ _Jellal._

 _I am not like Jellal!_

 _Okay, fine. You're mad at him for stringing Erza along-not at all like you strung along Juvia, of course-so why did you let him? You kept_ _your scaredy-cat mouth shut and took away Erza's opportunity to choose. If you had told her how much you love her when you first realized it, maybe she wouldn't have suffered over Jellal all these years._

 _You can't know that!_

 _You can't know otherwise._

"Damn, perv; what's got _your_ goat?" Bickslow jumps into the seat across from Gray. When Gray just grunts at him, Bickslow says, "Oh, I get it: your woman's been gone a whole month, and you're feeling a little… _blue_."

"Juvia ain't my woman!" Gray hisses. "Never has been."

"What the hell is up with you?"

"Nothin'."

"Somethin'. You were always hanging around her; you mad 'cause she turned you down or what?"

" _She_ was hanging around _me_. _I_ turned _her_ down."

"Ah." Bickslow says thoughtfully.

Gray returns his attention to Erza and the gaggle of gossiping girls she's sitting with. He is nearly overcome with a desire to stomp over there, grab Erza, and kiss her cross-eyed. If he could just convince her that he can make her happier than Jellal ever has, if he could just show her how—

"So, who _does_ the perv have his corrupt eye on?" Bickslow follows Gray's gaze over to the girls' table, then whistles low. "Please tell me it ain't Ever; I love her, but she is a piece of work!"

"It ain't Ever."

"Well, I hope it ain't Lucy, either, 'cause Laxus will fry you until even ash ain't left."

"It ain't Lucy. Leave me alone."

"When I'm only down to two candidates?" Bickslow laughs.

Gray grabs his broadsword and starts walking toward the back of the guild.

"Where you goin'?" Bickslow demands.

"Gray!" Erza's voice stops him in his tracks. "I wondered where you went."

 _She did?_ His heart flutters, and his mood lifts a little.

"Oh, uh, just talking to Bickslow." Gray shoves his hands in his pockets and walks slowly back to the table. "You need somethin'?"

"You can't practice on an empty stomach," Erza says in a motherly tone, and pats the empty seat next to her. "Sit. Eat with us."

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."

"Come on, Gray!" Lucy encourages him. "We could use a man's input, anyway."

"No, we couldn't." Erza assures him.

Gray grinds his teeth together, his foul mood redoubling its efforts to make him miserable. He knows exactly what they want his input about, and that they absolutely do not want his input. That angry-side of him, though, is chomping at the bit to give them all a piece of his mind, so he takes his seat.

"So, Gray, what do you think about—?"

"Lucy." Erza says as casually as she can manage, but there is a note of pleading in her voice that Gray seems to be the only one to have heard. "Allow Gray to eat in peace."

"Come on, Titania!" Evergreen laughs. "Who better to ask than Gray?"

"I shouldn't have said anything at all." Erza replies darkly.

"Gray, just tell Erza she's being paranoid: Jellal is totally into her!" Lucy smiles.

"He isn't." Gray says simply, but he can't completely hide the bitterness in his voice.

All of the women gasp, except Erza, who blushes in a combination of anger, embarrassment, and resignation.

"Wha—?!" Lucy and Levy stare at him.

"You guys aren't helping her by giving her advice based on your romance novels," Gray says, trying to keep his tone level, but failing to keep all of his anger out of it. He looks at Erza, softening his features, but still wanting her to understand how fucking serious he is. "I'm not one of your girl friends, Erza; I'm not going to spare your feelings now and commiserate with you later when you finally allow that bastard to break your heart. I'm your friend, your teammate, and I'm tellin' you: if he wanted you, he would be here.

"Now he's got you second-guessing yourself, you're changing yourself—little things like makeup, sure, but they're for _him_ not for _you_. He's got you on his hook and he's just dragging you along, using you when he's lonely and—"

"You may stop now." Erza tells him, and though her voice is steady and quiet, it is more commanding—even menacing—than when she shouts. Gray flinches, and his gut clenches at the ire in her eyes, which does a good job of hiding the small quiver in her lips, but Gray notices that, too. "You may leave."

Gray's head and shoulders droop, and he begins to walk away, his heart pounding like a race horse, his mind working twice as fast. Erza's never going to forgive him this time. How the fuck has that jackass ruined both his romantic chances _and_ his friendship with Erza?!

 _Don't let him,_ comes his mind's shrugging reply.

Gray stops suddenly, and turns back to Erza. Her eyes narrow on him dangerously as he leans over her in the booth, but she does not move to avoid him, or to hurt him...yet.

"I only want what's best for you, Erza. Please, believe that." He slides one of his hands slowly around the back of her head, pulling her toward him so that he can kiss her tenderly on the forehead.

Erza's lip trembles more noticeably now, and she nods slightly, but when she says nothing, Gray leaves the guild hall.

* * *

 _Ho-ly. Shit!_ Lucy screams internally. _Gray's in love with Erza! How did I miss this? How? How?!_

Erza abruptly stands, nearly knocking the table over, and storms angrily out of the back of the guild hall.

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Levy squeaks, hand flying over her mouth.

"That was certainly unexpected." Evergreen says bemusedly.

Lucy tries to kick her brain into gear by blinking rapidly, and opening and closing her mouth, but she can't seem to connect her thoughts to her speech.

"Lu? Lucy? Are you okay?"

Lucy looks at Levy and makes a strange sound as she tries to communicate. Lucy throws her arms in the air in frustration, then lays her head on the table to try and collect herself. Levy softly rubs the blonde's back, and even Evergreen uses her fan to give Lucy some air.

"Hey, babe." Laxus's voice breaks through Lucy's haze, and she looks quickly up at him. He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek, not really looking at her. "Natsu, Gajeel, and I are going on a mission. We'll be back in a few days. Love you!"

He kisses her again, then runs out of the guild hall.

"Huh?" Lucy stares dumbly at the guild hall door again.

"Where the hell is Gajeel?" Levy smacks her fist against the table, then winces and rubs it with her other hand. She wonders to herself, "How does he do that?"

"Oh shit," Lucy breathes, her eyes wide with terror. "Who do I go after? Levy, who do I talk to first?"

"I'm sorry, Lucy; I have no idea."

"With Gray, obviously." Evergreen says. "He's the dark horse here."

"What do I say to him?!" Lucy grabs Evergreen almost desperately. "Gray is my friend and teammate, but I've been shipping Erza and Jellal from the beginning!"

"I would start by _not_ telling him that," Evergreen smirks.

Lucy laughs, and relaxes a little, releasing Evergreen's shoulders.

"What a mess," she sighs. "I think you're right, though, Ever: I need to talk to Gray first, if only to avoid being chopped into pieces as part of Erza's training."


	4. Chapter 4

Juvia clutches her hands to her heart in anguish.

 _Oh, my belov—I mean, Gray!_

Juvia shuts her eyes against her tears.

She had been so sure. So sure that Gray was her soul mate, and all she had to do was wait for him to be struck by the same sense of destiny that she was when he saved her from the rain. He saved her from a life of gloomy dreariness; how could he be anything other than her soul mate? He is her knight in shining armor!

But, if that were true, he couldn't have said the things he said to her. Not with so much sincerity. He hadn't been cruel or unkind, but Juvia is sure it would have hurt less if he had turned her to ice and slowly chiseled away at her with a pick.

* * *

 _One Month Ago_

"Gray-sama, isn't this exciting?" Juvia claps happily as she looks out of the train window at the rapidly-passing countryside.

"If you say so."

"A foe that has bested Lucy _and_ Laxus? A foe so strong that they have requested both of their teams, plus Team Shadowgear, Crime Sorcière, and the Rune Knights? It is the first time since the battle with Alvarez that someone so formidable has come along."

"Eh, I bet the guy's a total loser."

They sit in silence in their train car for a little while, until Juvia finally asks, "Gray, my love?"

"Don't call me that." Gray grunts.

"So…" Juvia swallows hard, but forces herself to continue. "So, you do not love me?"

"Juvia, this isn't—."

"You said you would tell me after Alvarez; you haven't. I want to know, Gray-sama."

Gray presses his palms to his eyes for a few moments, then looks sadly at Juvia. "Juvia, it's time for you to move on."

"Wh-what?" Her eyes get wide.

"I'm not in love with you, Juvia." Gray speaks slowly, regretfully, but with determination. "I should have said those words long ago, instead of hoping you'd get the hint, so I didn't have to hurt you…like I am now."

Juvia's eyes are overflowing, her lip trembling.

"P-please, Gray. Tell me what to do!" Juvia bows to her knees in front of Gray, taking hold of his wrists. "What can I do to make you love me?"

"Juvia," Gray says softly and as though he's in pain, "it isn't about you. You shouldn't change yourself because of me."

"But why?!"

"I just—."

"If you're scared, o-or not ready to commit, I can wait!"

"That isn't it, Juvia. Please, just accept this as my answer."

"But, I'm so in love with you, Gray!"

"Tch." Gray pulls his wrists from her grip. "I know that! I don't want to hurt you, Juvia, but I don't feel the same towards you!"

Juvia lets out a pitiful sob, her head falling into her hands.

Gray slides open the car door, and softly says, "I'll leave you alone."

* * *

It's just as painful for Juvia to recall her reaction as it is to recall his words; she had no dignity, no pride, no self-worth in the immediate aftermath of Gray's confession. Juvia hasn't been able to look him in the eyes since; not that she's been around to do so. Even worse, Wendy had sent Carla in to stay with her while the rest went to help Lucy and Laxus. Though Juvia tried to join in the cheerful air of her comrades as they razzed Lucy and Laxus over the weakness of their foe, and the pointlessness of the hunting party, when Juvia heard that Lucy and Laxus had eloped in the train station, she could not hide her mood any longer.

The gloomy rain returned in full force, and with all the questions she received about her wellbeing, Juvia decided to take a difficult mission near the Sky Tower in the mountains of Sabertooth. It had not been difficult enough, however, for she finished it after only two weeks. She has spent the last two weeks camping in the mountains, training on her own, and trying to at least lighten the rainfall around her, but to no avail. At least her water slicer attack has improved considerably, and she is now able to send out mini-slicers that can cut a single leaf in half at fifteen yards.

Juvia is actually quite proud of herself for this accomplishment, as everything she does tends to be over the top. The rain pours down harder as she wishes she had someone—anyone—to share her accomplishment with. She realizes that she has spent all her time in Fairy Tail chasing Gray—okay, stalking! She never even asked to join Team Natsu, or any other Fairy Tail team. She is alone now because she ignored everyone except Gray, who ignored no one except Juvia.

Juvia plops down onto her knees and wails.

* * *

Gray angrily slices at some overgrowth with the broadsword, cutting it cleanly but easily. He needs more of a challenge, but when it comes to swords, only Erza can provide the required difficulty. Gray shouts and swings the sword at a large tree, where it promptly gets stuck. He tries for several minutes to free it from the trunk, but ultimately gives up, and slides down to the ground, covered in sweat.

How could he have fucked up so bad? How can he expect Erza to believe that he just wants the best for her when he's been so selfish? He didn't have to be so mean earlier, either: calling her Jellal's booty call, accusing her of not being her own woman. Not to mention telling Lucy and Levy that they were bad friends just for trying to cheer Erza up.

What the fuck is he going to do now?

"Gray?"

"Lucy?"

His blonde teammate appears in the wake of everything he chopped down with the sword, a small smile on her face as she indicates the mess. "I wasn't sure if it was you or a Forest Vulcan."

Gray smirks at her, but quickly runs out of the energy necessary for polite social conventions. He wraps his arms around his knees and lays his head against them. Lucy takes a seat next to him and puts her arm around him.

"I had no idea, Gray." She finally says after a while.

"I didn't want you to." He admits. "I didn't want anyone to know."

"Tell me what to do," Lucy pleads.

Gray laughs bitterly. "I was about to ask you that."

"I'm stumped on this one," Lucy says sadly.

"Don't worry about it, Lucy; this one's for me to figure out."

"You don't have to do it on your own, Gray. Trust me, I know the struggle of being in love with a teammate who doesn't return the sentiment."

"You do?" Gray's eyes nearly pop out of his skull. "You mean…you and Natsu?"

"Uh-huh."

"I guess I always wondered when you two would get together. What happened?"

"We tried…sort of. We even kissed a couple of times. It just didn't work for us."

"But why not? He's your best friend, right?"

"Exactly. He's my best friend, and best friends don't make for good lovers."

"That doesn't make any sense, Lucy."

"I know, but it's true. I'm not saying you shouldn't be friends with your lover, obviously, but when you expect one person to provide you with everything that at least two people, if not more, would normally provide, it becomes too much pressure for them, and a huge disappointment for you. I can see now how I probably overwhelmed Natsu, who wasn't even in love with me to begin with."

"Hmm." Gray grunts, looking at a flower directly ahead of him.

Now that Lucy has put it into words, he's pretty sure that's close to what he feels about himself and Juvia. While Gray always appreciated her magic, and how good she was in a fight, and even her friendship, her constant need for him to return her affections and provide her all of his attention all of the time was too much for him, especially since she started in on the whole 'soul-mate' thing the moment they met.

"I don't know what's in store for you, Gray, but…well, I'm happier now than I ever could have been with Natsu, even if he had been able to give me everything I thought I wanted. Laxus has given me more than I even knew I could ask for, and I've given him more than I ever knew I had. So, if things don't work out the way you want them to, I'm positive there's someone waiting for you that will give you more than you ever dreamed of."

"I know you're trying to be helpful, but that only makes me feel worse."

"Shall I spare your feelings now and commiserate with you later?" She pokes him playfully.

Gray blushes and hides his face in his arms. "I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy giggles and rubs his back some more. "Don't be, Gray; you were right. Tell me how to make you feel better."

"Can you turn back time?"

Lucy smiles and pulls him closer to her. "I know it feels like that's what you want, but I promise, it isn't. This might be a shit-storm right now—uh, no offense—"

"Uh-huh."

"—but it's better that it's out in the open. It's the wounds you don't treat that kill you."

"Why couldn't you have stayed that ditzy blonde who first showed up at the guild?" Gray teases. "Your Yoda-ness is putting a real damper on my pity-party."

"Ditzy?" Lucy flicks his ear.

They laugh for a few moments, then Lucy pats his back and stands up.

"Want some help with this thing?" She points at the sword.

"Nah." Gray smiles, sending some ice into the wound, making the trunk expand just enough that he easily removes the sword. "Thanks for the clarity, Lucy."

* * *

Jellal lies flat on his back in his crater, staring up at the sky.

His anger has abated for now, but the fact that he had to resort to using Sema just to make his emotions manageable is deeply troubling. He has spent all these years fighting Zeref, never realizing that he needed to be fighting himself. Okay, fine: there may have been some ignoring and self-delusion involved, too.

Fighting an external enemy is just so much easier, even when s/he's stronger and more experienced. Fighting yourself? How do you even do that without destroying a piece of yourself? Maybe even an essential piece? Is his anger a cancer—something that doesn't belong—or is it intrinsic to his being? He's been carrying it since he was a child, but maybe that was just circumstances; slavery tends to make a person angry.

Can his anger be intrinsic without being essential? Who would he be without something he's carried nearly his whole life? If he does succeed in ridding himself of his anger and hate, will he still be Jellal? Or has his anger been his driving force all along, and with it's loss, he would end up less passionate, less dedicated, and less focused?

 _You'd end up with Erza, dumbass._

His self is right; if he hadn't been carrying this anger still, he would have handled that encounter with Gray much differently, alcohol or not.

Jellal clenches his fist thinking about that night, about Gray questioning Jellal's love for Erza, demanding that he step aside so Gray can take his place. Jellal still wants to rip the kid's head off.

He sighs; how does he even begin to tackle this kind of emotion?

 _Stand up._

Good idea. He'll never get anything accomplished if he just lies here all day. He needs to do something.

 _So do it already: stand up!_

 _I don't wanna._

Out of nowhere, a torrent of rain begins pouring down on him, threatening to cause a mudslide within the crater. Jellal scurries out of the giant hole in the ground, slipping and sliding across the mud. He surveys the area once he gets to the top, trying to figure out where the rain came from. The sky was blue one second, then gray the next; only a mage could accomplish that.

Jellal spots a darker, gloomier section of sky far off in the distance, and decides to follow it.

* * *

"I hate you," Gajeel groans.

He, Natsu, and Laxus are all laid out in various and miserable positions in an empty storage car of the train. Laxus had given them each a bottle of meclizine before boarding, and while it has helped with the typical motion sickness, Gajeel still wishes he were dead. It's almost worse now, because he's not so miserable as to lose consciousness, but has become more conscious of his misery.

Damn, he just wishes Levy were here. He loves the way she strokes his hair while his head is in her lap, loves that it distracts him enough that he can almost enjoy the train ride—almost. What the fuck is he going to do if she's not his mate? He can't imagine loving anyone else, doesn't even want to try. He could marry her anyway, and just hope that he never comes across the woman Fate decided belongs with him.

 _Fucking Fate._

"You'd hate me more if someone listened in on how you don't know how to mate with your girlfriend, then printed the conversation in _Sorcerer's Weekly_."

The thought makes Gajeel shudder. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Laxus manages to chuckle, then says, "Only a few more stops."

"Guurgh." Natsu groans. "I wish Lucy were here; her stories always help."

Laxus makes a sound of indignation that quickly turns to anguish as he clutches his stomach. "Lucy tells you stories?"

"Yeah."

"Which ones?" Laxus demands.

"They're different every time." Natsu gives him a weird look, then asks, "Are you jealous?"

"What? No."

Gajeel would laugh if his face weren't so close to Laxus's feet. Gajeel took two fists to the face from Laxus a month ago that have given him whiplash. One had knocked him into a stone wall and cracked a couple ribs. They healed quickly, but his neck still ain't right; a boot to the face would probably kill him.

"She tells everyone stories, Laxus; it's her thing. Hey! One time, we played a game where we each took a turn saying a sentence to build a story. We could try that."

"No way." Gajeel and Laxus say together, looking perturbed that they had the same thought as the other.

"Fine, me and Happy will play it. Right, Happy?"

"Aye!"

"Once upon a time, there was an evil knight named Dan."

"Dan?" Gajeel scoffs. "What kind of name is that for an evil knight?"

"One you don't get to criticize because you refused to play! Your turn, Happy."

"Dan was in love with the beautiful—but kinda chubby—Princess Lucy."

"I'll rip your wings off, fur ball." Laxus growls.

Happy squeaks in fright and hides on the other side of Natsu.

"Would you two stop interrupting?! Play the game or shut up!"

Laxus and Gajeel are quiet, but then they both say, "I'm in." They glare at each other and shout, "Stop copying me!"

"They're in loooove!" Happy giggles.

"Shut up, cat!"

Natsu laughs and laughs, until the train lurches, and all three of them turn green again.

"Quick!" Happy gets in Laxus's face. "Make up the next part of the story."

Laxus's stomach gurgles, and it's difficult for him to think, but he gives it his best shot. "The smokin' hot Princess Lucy lived in a big, stone castle."

"Okay, Gajeel, now you." Happy says.

"The evil knight Dan belonged to her group of bodyguards."

An hour later, the dragons have disembarked from the train, and are walking the several miles through the forested mountains to the Sabertooth guildhall.

"The brave, red dragon flew to the top of the tower to rescue his princess."

"But Dan was using Lucy as a shield!"

"Dan was an idiot for keeping Lucy so close, and the princess broke his nose with a head-butt."

"Gihee! The sleek black dragon swooped in, and grabbed Dan in his talons."

"The dull, totally lame, black dragon flew to the nearby lake and dropped Dan inside it."

"He tried to swim, but was too heavy, just like Princess Lucy."

Laxus grabs Happy by the tail and drags him to eye level, glaring at him until the cat sweats, and shouts, "I'm sorry!"

Laxus releases the cat, then says, "The perfect Princess Lucy was so overcome with happiness, she started crying as she hugged her electrifying dragon."

"Haha! Lucy totally does that!" Natsu laughs.

"The princess was so grateful that—whoa."

If the Dragon Slayers had been paying attention, they would have noticed that they were walking into a storm. But they hadn't been, so from one step to the next, a torrent of rain poured down on them, soaking them through. Gajeel looks around, sniffs the air, then curses when he can't smell anything but wet earth.

"I know this rain," he says. "Spread out, and look for Juvia."

* * *

 **Thanks to Cheschire-Kaat and AxlRose751 for reviewing! I'm glad y'all like the story so far.**


	5. Chapter 5

_If the Dragon Slayers had been paying attention, they would have noticed that they were walking into a storm. But they hadn't been, so from one step to the next, a torrent of rain poured down on them, soaking them through. Gajeel looks around, sniffs the air, then curses when he can't smell anything but wet earth._

 _"I know this rain," he says. "Spread out, and look for Juvia."_

* * *

Gajeel goes to the right, Natsu to the left, and Laxus continues straight down the path.

Gajeel's gut clenches a little at the thought that Juvia's been out here a whole month like this. He's often told himself that he needs to try a little harder to hang out with her, help her socialize a little more, but always found himself too distracted by Levy and her oh-so-delicious body, and her oh-so-dangerous mind. Either one is a major turn-on for Gajeel, but the combination nearly destroys him.

He growls loudly just thinking about his Levy.

"Water slicer!"

The rain is so thick that he can barely see, and it has dulled the rest of his senses, and muted any sound Juvia might have made, so he doesn't dodge in time. Several of what feels like tiny blades slice deeply through the skin on his arms as he uses them to block his face.

"Dammit, Juvia!" Gajeel shouts. "It's just me!"

"Gajeel?" Juvia appears right in front of him, making him jump back a little. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." He looks down at the cuts on his arms, which are not healing as quickly as usual, and smiles. "You've learned control, Rain Woman."

Juvia blushes, and the rain lets up a little bit.

"Come on," Gajeel wraps his arm around her shoulders, "we gotta meet up with the others."

"Others?"

"Laxus and Natsu."

"A Dragon Slayer mission?" Juvia sounds both excited and deflated.

"In a way."

"I don't want to intrude." Juvia curls into herself a little, and makes a move to return to the forest.

"Don't be stupid." Gajeel holds on to her tighter. "You're a Fairy just like the rest of us."

"Thank you, Gajeel." Juvia whispers and slides her arm around his waist.

"No problem." He kisses the side of her head.

* * *

"RRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHGH!" Erza shouts as she uses her Heaven's Wheel Armor to send 100 swords into 100 different trees. The swords each hit their mark, yet Erza looks at them with disgust; she has just marred 100 trees for no reason other than she is having a temper-tantrum.

She shouts again until her throat is so raw that she can taste blood.

She knew better than to voice her insecurities to Lucy, Levy, and Evergreen. Telling them that she was nervous about Jellal's feelings for her was one of the dumbest things she's ever done. Why did she think she could trust them to keep their mouths shut? If she had wanted Gray's opinion, she wouldn't have gotten so mad at him yesterday!

Today's opinion had been even more infuriating; how dare he imply that she is no more than a booty call to Jellal? That she respects herself so little as to allow the man she's in love with to treat her so, and that she would allow herself to love such a man? And how fucking dare he tell her that she's a vapid harpy who only tries to look nice for someone else?

She had been tempted to tell him to leave the broadsword, but had still maintained enough sanity to realize the dishonesty of demanding that he return the token of her apology. Her anger today does not erase the shame of her words and actions yesterday, nor her apology this morning. Taking back her sword would compromise her integrity, and—more importantly—the trust of her friends and teammates.

 _You're already compromised._

 _SHUT UP!_

Erza recalls all 100 swords, returning them to her requip dimension, and exchanging her armor for a bikini. The lake is cold this time of year, but Erza needs the shock, and even the pain, of the cold water to even begin to clear her head.

* * *

Once Gajeel and Juvia return to the trail, Gajeel shouts: "Found her!"

He and Juvia continue walking the trail, eventually meeting up with Natsu and Laxus.

"Hey, Juvia!" Natsu grins at her. "Long time, no see!"

"Hello." She smiles feebly at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you eat a bad fish?" Happy lands on her shoulder.

Juvia chuckles, and strokes Happy under the chin. "I wish that was all."

"Was it that ice pervert?" Gajeel growls.

"No," Juvia shakes her head.

"I don't believe you." Gajeel puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her toward him.

"Why would you?" Juvia smiles sadly, and the rain grows thicker. "I've been so obsessed with Gray for so long, no one would ever think to define me without him. I gave up my identity—first to the rain, then to Master Jose and the Element 4, then to Gray—and now I don't know who I am!" Juvia covers her face in her hands, sobbing madly. "What do I do?"

"Uh…" The Dragon Slayers' jaws drop.

"Listen, Juvia, Gray's a loser, anyway." Natsu tries.

Juvia sobs louder. "That makes me worse than a loser!"

"That's not what I meant!" Natsu waves his hands in front of him. "I meant you can do better than him!"

"He's the only one who takes the rain away!" She sinks to her knees.

"Stop talking, idiot!" Gajeel conks Natsu on the head.

Natsu is so crushed at Juvia's distress, he doesn't even retaliate against Gajeel.

In a way, Gajeel knows how Juvia feels: Levy tempers his darkness. True, his darkness is more a product of environment and choice, not something as innate to him as Juvia's rain is to her. And even though he could control it on his own before Levy, her presence—even the thought of her—makes the darkness so much easier to manage that, sometimes, he can even forget it's there.

"I…don't…know…how—," she sucks in deep, racking breathes between each word, embarrassed that she is breaking down like this in front of the Dragon Slayers, but also relieved that she has other humans to talk to. "—how to…make…the rain…stop!"

"There's so much rain, there could be a fucking dinosaur next to us and I wouldn't even know." Laxus muses, loud enough only for the other Dragon Slayers to hear.

"Shit, man." Gajeel rubs the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Juvia," Gajeel crouches down next to her, gruffly but lovingly shaking her shoulder. "I know it's easier with help, but you don't need anyone else to take away the rain."

"Yes, I do!" She buries her face in Gajeel's shoulder.

"You are Juvia-fucking-Lockser; Juvia of the Great Sea; Juvia, the Rain Woman! You were the strongest of the Element Four, fucking ruled that roost."

Juvia scoffs.

"Why do you think I've never tussled with you?" He waits for a response, which comes in the form of a shrug of her shoulders. He answers, "Because water cuts steel; you're one of the few who could do real, permanent damage to me. So, you really gonna try and tell me that you can't control your own rain?"

Juvia pulls back to look at Gajeel with a confused, yet hopeful, expression. He can't tell if she's still crying, but as she works to calm her breathing, the rain dies down to a moderate shower, and then to a heavy drizzle.

"That's better," Gajeel coos and pats her on the shoulder. "I know you can do it on your own, Juvia, but until then, let _me_ help you."

"Me, too!" Natsu shouts.

"Aye!"

Laxus holds out his hand to Juvia with a sympathetic smile. Juvia takes it and allows him to pull her to her feet. "We're all here for you, Juvia; you're one of us."

Juvia starts crying again, but the rain doesn't get any worse.

Laxus hugs her to him, gently stroking her back until she calms down.

Gajeel watches the scene with an odd sense of jealousy. He used to get so uncomfortable when Levy would cry because he felt so useless and didn't know what to do, but he quickly learned that his physical presence is the solution to the problem. Gajeel loves solving problems, so as he watches Laxus and Juvia, he wishes he was the one making her feel better. Then he realizes that all he really wants _is_ for her to feel better, so it doesn't matter if it's him or Laxus.

Juvia exhales a final, long breath before her body relaxes, then she stops crying, and the rain stops altogether. The sky is still gloomy, but who cares about that?

"Thank you, Laxus. Natsu." Juvia turns to Gajeel and gives him a hug. "Thank you, Gajeel."

"Any time, Juvia." Gajeel gives her noogies.

Juvia squawks and swats his hand away from her head before fixing her hair and repositioning her hat. The Dragon Slayers laugh, and Juvia giggles.

"What is your mission?" She asks.

"We're gonna ask Sting and Rogue what they know about Dragon mates." Natsu tells her.

"Oh?" She looks at Laxus. "I don't understand; aren't you already mated to Lucy?"

"Apparently not." He sounds despondent and cranky about it, too.

"I see." Juvia blushes lightly and looks down at the ground. "May…may I join you? I know I am not a Dragon, but perhaps I will learn something about soul mates that will help me."

"I insist." Gajeel slings his arm around her, and the group turns to continue walking the path to Sabertooth.

Juvia gasps, and they all jump back a step, when they see Jellal standing on the path in front of them. He's covered in mud, soaking wet, and looks more miserable than the Dragon Slayers do on a moving vehicle.

"H-hey, Jellal." Natsu starts slowly. "What's goin' on?"

Jellal's shoulders slump dejectedly. "May I join you, too?"

"Everything okay with Titania?" Laxus asks, positioning himself between Jellal and everyone else.

Secretly, Gajeel is grateful for this because, as much as he hates to admit it, Laxus is the only one here who could defeat Jellal. Although, after Jellal's next words, Gajeel isn't sure anyone could defeat him in his state of mind.

"Gray's in love with her, and I almost killed him."

They might as well be standing under a damn waterfall for the all the rain that crashes down on them.

 _Thank Mavis that Levy didn't get the crazy-bluenette gene._

* * *

"Spill it, Lily, or I'll…I'll…" Levy's cheeks puff out angrily as she stares down the small, brown Exceed and tries to think of a threat. "Or I'll eat all your kiwi!"

Panther Lily gasps. "You don't even like kiwi!"

"I'll send it down the garbage disposal!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Just try me!"

"Miss Levy," Lily desperately tries reasoning with her, "you are asking me to betray Gajeel's confidence. Is that really what you want?"

Levy sighs, and her shoulders slump. "Of course not. I want to know that he's okay. I want to help him."

"I know you do, Levy. This is something he feels he needs to do without you."

"But why?"

"Because he's an idiot. And though I do not agree with him, I will respect his wishes."

"Doesn't he trust me, Lily?" Levy asks timidly.

"One hundred percent, Levy. He does not hesitate to lean on you."

Levy blushes. "Really?"

"On my honor."

"Thanks, Lily. I'm, uh, sorry I threatened your kiwi."

"I will forgive you…this time."

* * *

When Erza drags herself up onto the dock of Lucy and Laxus's island home, Lucy is waiting for her with a freshly-warmed towel and hot chocolate. Erza dries off before requiping into her jeans and t-shirt, then follows Lucy into the house. They sit at the kitchen table, each drinking their hot chocolate, without ever saying a word.

Erza stares into her hot chocolate as she runs through the conclusions she came to while swimming: 1) Gray thinks he's in love with her; 2) she has no idea what to do with that; 3) the fact that she can't bring herself to tell him she isn't interested is deeply concerning; 4) a small-but-growing part of her is starting to see Gray's point when it comes to Jellal's whereabouts, namely: not with Erza; 5) she's more confused and frustrated than ever.

Erza is snapped from her reverie when she hears,

"I'm so sorry about this morning, Erza. I should have kept my big mouth shut."

"Yes, you should have," Erza says crossly before taking a sip of her drink. She sighs and shakes her head. "I understand that you had good intentions. I forgive you."

"Thanks, Erza."

"Do you have any marshmallows?"

Lucy smiles. "Yeah."

As she waits for Lucy to get the marshmallows, it finally dawns on Erza that she has never been to Laxus's home before. She looks around at the strange mix of rustic cabin and modern sound studio, and wonders at how little Lucy has done to the place.

"Where is all the stuff from your apartment?" Erza asks.

"Oh, ha ha," Lucy giggles nervously, "we haven't really had the time to move it, yet."

"You've been here for two weeks, what have you—nevermind."

The redhead sips some more hot chocolate and watches Lucy move around the kitchen, humming a little song. She looks so happy, so at-one with the surroundings, even though she can't seem to remember which cupboard the marshmallows are in. Lucy has found somewhere to belong, and someone to belong with.

Erza is struck with a sudden, all-encompassing pain, anger, and jealousy. Before she knows it, hot tears are rolling down her cheeks, and she is spilling her guts to Lucy: her argument with Gray yesterday, Meredy's text, her mounting fears and insecurities about her future with Jellal.

"And then there's you!" Erza snaps. Lucy's eyes get big, but she doesn't interrupt. "You and Laxus only dated for three months! And now you're married, and sharing marshmallows, and humming! How did you do it?!"

"I don't want to tell you," Lucy hesitates.

"Why not?!" Erza slams her fist on the table.

"Eek!" Lucy nearly falls backward out of her chair. "I'm worried you're going to read too much into it!"

"Tell. Me." Erza demands, desperate to have with Jellal what Lucy has with Laxus.

"I gave up Natsu." Lucy says matter-of-factly.

"You what?" Erza asks breathlessly, suddenly terrified to hear what Lucy has to say.

"I stopped waiting for Natsu to fall in love with me, and stopped trying to make it happen. I accepted that we're best friends, and decided that that was enough."

"You're saying I should give up Jellal." Erza says slowly, her mind trying to resist wrapping itself around the idea.

"No!" It's Lucy's turn to slam her hand on the table, but while Lucy's hand turns red and she holds it tight against her, Erza doesn't even flinch. "I am not telling you to give up Jellal. That's why I was worried about saying anything."

"What are you saying, then?" Erza asks quietly.

"I'm saying: give up what you think is your ideal and work with what you have."

"I have a boyfriend who is never here, and a best friend who is mistakenly in love with me!"

"He's not mistaken, Erza."

"He must be! He–"

"Don't discount his feelings; he knows them better than either of us. You are not responsible for doing anything about his feelings, but you don't get to tell him that they're not real, either."

Erza's breathing quickens and she can feel the beginning of an anxiety attack coming on. Admitting that Gray's feelings are real makes everything so much worse. If she could be so blind to Gray's true feelings, what if she has been just as blind to Jellal's? What if he doesn't love her, but hasn't known how to let her down, just like Gray with Juvia? Gray would know Jellal's game because it's his own, and that's why he hates Jellal so much. How could she be so stupid?!

"Relax, Erza." Lucy says soothingly. "Gray's feelings are Gray's feelings; you don't have to do anything about them if you don't want to. Same goes for Jellal."

Erza simply grits her teeth and looks pointedly at the ground.

"Erza, I know that I don't know Jellal like you do, but we did spend a lot of time together while he was training me, and I am positive that he loves you _and_ wants to spend forever with you. Have you guys talked about it? I mean, you lived together for a year, even if your teams were around; you must have talked about marriage or traveling together or something."

Erza snorts derisively. "We did not."

"Oh. So, uh…what _did_ happen during that year?" Lucy ventures cautiously.

"Nothing."

"I promise I won't say anything, Erza. I won't—."

"Honestly, Lucy: nothing happened."

"Wha—nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Ah. I think I get it."

Erza looks at Lucy with skepticism and a small dose of terror. If anyone could divine Erza's ugly secret so quickly, it would be Lucy.

Lucy reaches out and takes Erza's hand with a gentle smile.

"I'm not going to tell you what you did is okay, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"Why not?" Erza demands. "I treated Jellal and Gray like pawns, emotionless _things_ , and now I've lost them both. I deserve to lose them."

She says the last with fierceness, but she can't hide the tremor in her voice.

Using Gray to make Jellal jealous is the second-worse thing Erza has ever done. The worst was making Gray ditch Juvia without a word; having her hanging around Gray would have significantly decreased the effectiveness of Erza's disgusting plan. The most horrible part is that she got away with it, and even got what she wanted—or so she had thought. Now it is clear that she neither got away with it, nor got what she wanted.

"Erza, you haven't lost either of them."

"If you think that, then you're a fool."

"Hey!" Lucy snaps, and this time, Erza does flinch. "If you're giving up, then _you're_ the fool! It's as simple as this, Erza: are in you love with Jellal?"

"Yes."

"Are you in love with Gray?"

Erza's gut clenches as she speaks the truth: "I could be."

" _Are_ you?"

"No."

"Then go find Jellal! Lay it all out on the line for him, and let him make a choice. You can deal with Gray later."

"You're right." Erza stands. "Thank you, Lucy."

"No problem."

"Don't ever yell at me again."

"Yes, ma'am!"


	6. Chapter 6

Cana's heart rate picks up as she nears the guild hall, and she hopes and prays that Lucy doesn't happen to walk out. Natsu assured her before he left that Laxus wasn't going to say anything to Lucy, but Cana doesn't want to risk it. She is too frazzled right now to be able to hold a normal conversation with Lucy and not give her secret away.

She holds her breath as she passes the guild hall, and breaks into a sprint the moment she hears the front doors begin to open. She doesn't stop running until she is safely behind her door in Fairy Hills. Maybe it _is_ time to 'fess up to Lucy; this sneaking around is making Cana queasy. But, the thought of telling Lucy that she stole Natsu out from under her also makes Cana queasy.

 _She's married to Laxus, what does she care?_

 _I still broke the Code! She's one of my best friends, and I betrayed her!_

 _Give her a bottle of wine, she'll get over it._

 _I make a good point: just get Lucy drunk first!_

 _You idiot, that's what started this whole mess in the first place!_

* * *

 _Four months ago_

"Another, Mira!" Cana slams her empty pint-glass down on the bar.

"Me, too!" Natsu copies her.

"Not tonight." Mira tells them. "You two need to go home."

"Boo!" Cana heckles, spinning on her barstool once before promptly falling off.

"Are you alright?" Natsu helps her up.

"Make sure she gets home safely, Natsu." Mira admonishes, then shoos them both out of the guild hall.

Natsu slides his arm around Cana's waist, and her arm around his shoulder, before they begin their trek up to Fairy Hills.

"I know why I'm drinkin', Dragon Slayer," Cana says clearly. "Why are you?"

"No reason."

"Liar." Cana pokes him in his belly button.

"Hey!" He laughs. When he stops, he looks at Cana for a few moments and gets serious. "You first."

"My mom's dead, my dad's a whore, Bacchus cheated on me, and I'm a better drunk than I am a card mage." She shrugs.

"Bacchus cheated on you?" Natsu shouts.

"Shut up! I don't need the whole town knowing I'm not even good enough to keep the drunkiest drunk out there satisfied."

"Fuck him, Cana!" Natsu grabs her by the shoulders. "You have nothing to do with why he cheated, and if he fucking dares to say otherwise, I'll kill him."

"What do you know?" She sneers.

"I know that he's always been a pig, and I never liked you dating him."

Cana scrunches her eyebrows at him for a moment, then says, "You actually care about who I date?"

"Of course! You're a Fairy, ain'tcha?"

"Thanks, Natsu."

"Huh? Well, uh, yeah, you're welcome."

"Your turn."

Cana can see him blush even in the moonlight.

"I'm not—I don't really know…" He stares at his feet, kicking nervously at the grass beneath them. "Lucy and I kissed last night, and I was terrible!"

Cana's cackle echoes off the stone cliff above Fairy Hills, and she leans her head on Natsu's chest until she can stop laughing. By the time she does, Natsu is beet-red, and his whole body is rigid with embarrassment.

"Oh, Natsu," Cana says affectionately, taking his hand in hers and dragging him toward the trail leading up the cliff. "Follow me."

 _This is a bad, bad idea, Alberona._

 _Shut the fuck up._

At the top of the cliff, Cana takes a seat on the gently flowing grass, leaning up against a large rock. She tugs Natsu's arm until he sits next to her.

"What's goin' on, Cana?" He asks innocently.

"I'm going to teach you, Natsu."

"Teach me what?"

"How to kiss, silly." She pecks him on the lips, lingering for just a moment before pulling back again.

"I don't think—."

"You want to be good for Lucy, right?" She waits for him to nod, which he does sheepishly. "You'll get better, faster by practicing with me than with Lucy because you don't have any pressure to be good with me. You'll be able to get out of your head. So show me how you kissed Lucy."

Natsu's eyes get wide, and he looks like a rabbit who just spotted a predator across the field. Cana softens her body language, leaning languidly against the rock, and gently stroking her fingers up and down Natsu's forearm. It takes a few moments, but Natsu's eyes finally narrow with determination, though he is still blushing quite furiously.

His lips cover Cana's tentatively, and she can feel his hesitation. She slides her hand softly up his arm, encouraging him to relax. Again, it takes a moment, but he eventually comes around. His hand slides into her hair, and he uses it to tilt her head so that he can deepen their kiss. His tongue somehow manages to be gentle _and_ demanding as it seeks entrance to her mouth. She parts her lips for him, and her tongue moves to meet his.

Natsu makes a sound that makes Cana's back arch involuntarily.

And then he's gone.

Cana almost falls flat on her face, just managing to catch herself on her forearms. She looks up to where Natsu is standing, looking like that rabbit again. He takes a few deep breathes, relaxing slightly, then runs his hand through his pink locks.

"If that's how you kissed Lucy, you're not the one with the problem." Cana smiles softly.

"I should get you back to Fairy Hills."

* * *

Normally, Cana's alcohol consumption would have skyrocketed after that incident. But, the next night, Natsu closed down the guild hall with her again, and every night after that. Each night, he took her back up to that cliff, told he that he was there for her, not for Lucy, and then kissed her cross-eyed. It wasn't long before their hands started roaming, and things got serious.

Cana's alcohol consumption has gone down greatly since, even with the crushing guilt of lying to one of her best friends. Somehow, without even trying, Natsu has helped her move passed everything else she was drinking over that fateful night. She just hasn't had the time to worry about a bunch of people she can't control anyway; she has someone better to do with her time.

She chuckles at her own joke, thinking, _Man, I love him._

 _Oh, shit._

* * *

"Stop." Jellal commands.

"Stop what?" Laxus asks testily.

"Looking at me like I'm a bomb."

"Are you a bomb?"

Jellal sighs and hangs his head. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Laxus grunts and runs his hand through his hair, completely unsure of what to say. Words aren't really his thing; he's pretty sure they're not Jellal's, either. So he thinks of Lucy, and what she would say.

"What happened?" Laxus asks.

"Huh?"

"What happened with Fullbuster?"

 _Wrong question!_

Jellal's aura immediately darkens, and the amount of magic energy he's emitting skyrockets. The others turn around in alarm, and Laxus waves them forward, as far away as possible. They hesitate, but only for half a second. Now it's just Laxus and Jellal, and all the awkwardness that comes with that.

"He tried to run me off." Jellal grits through his teeth. His fists are clenched so tightly that his arms shake.

"The ice princess?" Laxus asks incredulously.

Jellal just growls a response.

Shit; Laxus knows that sound. The only solution that pops into his mind is:

"Hit me."

Jellal doesn't hesitate. His fist collides with Laxus's arm with a force neither was anticipating, given that he isn't using magic. Laxus grunts, but refrains from rubbing the spot.

"Good?"

"No." Jellal shakes his head and moves fluidly into a boxing stance.

Laxus grins. "You sure, blueberry?"

"I'm sure, Pikachu."

By the time they call the fight, both are bloodied and bruised, breathing like they've just run a marathon. Laxus is already starting to heal, and Jellal was fast enough that he was able to avoid ever taking the full brunt of any of Laxus's punches.

"I fucking hate him, Laxus." Jellal pants, his hands laced behind his head. When Laxus simply looks at him, waiting, Jellal jumps into the story. It doesn't take long to tell, but Laxus is as tense as a bowstring by the time Jellal is done.

Shit, what if Jellal _had_ murdered Gray? A Fairy murdered by a member of another guild. Lucy would still be crying, Titania would be a stoic wreck, and all of Fairy Tail would be on a rampage.

 _He didn't kill Gray. No use thinking about if he had._

"Well…shit, man."

Jellal smirks. "I know."

"You _do_ love her, then?"

"Of course, I do! I've loved her my entire life!"

"What the fuck are you waiting for, then?" Laxus demands. "Do you have any idea how foul her moods are every time you leave? She's a monster who keeps Lucy in training 'til midnight!"

"I have nothing to give her! No money, no home, no stability, nothing! Even what I've finally managed to save is basically the same as nothing! Even Gray has a fucking house, the little weakling." Jellal clenches his fist as if he were clenching it around Gray's throat.

 _Shit, this is gonna be difficult._

"I get it: you think Erza wants you for your stuff; that she doesn't want _you_."

"What? No!"

"That's what you said, dumbass: that she couldn't possibly want you unless you can give her money and a house."

"Wha—I…"

"Let me help you out, man. Lucy's apartment is almost on the market; we'll make sure you get it. And I'll talk to Gramps about sharing the guild hall with Crime Sorciére; there's your cash flow. Stability is on you; do you think you can stop being a nomad?"

Jellal instantly relaxes, and a peaceful smile spreads across his face. "I'd like that."

* * *

Meredy crosses the border into Magnolia with a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. She has debated texting Erza again, this time to tell her that Jellal won't be joining the rest of Crime Sorciére on their vacation at Fairy Tail, but she hasn't found the nerve. A part of her still hopes that Jellal will magically appear before they reach the guild hall.

Jellal hasn't been right since Lucy and Laxus's reception. Meredy isn't sure what happened, only that something did. Or, maybe it was the reception itself: he started feeling pressure to propose to Erza and is freaking out. Yeah, that's gotta be it. His attitude this morning was just his frustration. That look he gave her, though, was…violent. Hateful. She has never seen him give anyone that look before, and though it was so quick she barely saw it herself, she knows it was there, and that he knows she knows.

She wishes she knew how to help him; that he would tell her how. She's worried about her leader, her friend, and not just for his sake; if he loses himself again, who knows what will happen this time.

* * *

"Oh my!" Juvia exclaims as she watches Jellal and Laxus turn the bend a few yards away from where she and the Dragon Slayers have stopped for a snack.

"Don't worry about it, Juvia." Gajeel reassures her. "It was a friendly fight."

"It was?"

"Definitely."

"I am very glad I'm not a man."

"Gihee! I'm glad you ain't, too, 'cause then I'd have to fight ya."

"You would?"

"Well, yeah! I told ya you're one of the few who can actually hurt me. I'd have to prove I'm not afraid of ya."

"I see…I think."

"It's wise to be afraid of some women," Natsu says around a mouthful of fish.

"Amen!" Gajeel replies.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Laxus is obviously here for Lucy, and Gajeel for Levy; who are you here for?"

Natsu blushes bright red, and Gajeel and Laxus laugh. Jellal and Juvia look at each other in confusion, then back to Natsu.

"She wouldn't like it if I said anything." Natsu finally answers. "Sorry."

"They ain't gonna say nothin'." Gajeel playfully tosses a small rock at Natsu. "Maybe Juvia can give you some advice."

"I can definitely give you this advice: don't break her trust by giving in to Gajeel's heckling."

"Hey!" Gajeel pouts.

Juvia giggles and leans her head on his arm. "I know you meant well, Gajeel, but if she doesn't want their relationship known, he shouldn't make it known."

"Ah, man!" Natsu suddenly looks sick. "Juvia, why wouldn't a woman want her relationship known?"

"Well, lots of reasons."

"Like she thinks she stole her best friend's boyfriend, even if she didn't?"

"Yes, definitely." She furrows her eyebrows at him, trying to think who would consider Lucy her best friend.

 _Hopeless! Everyone thinks Lucy is their best friend!_

"Why else?" Natsu presses.

"She could just be a very private person and doesn't want to be asked a lot of questions. Or a very possessive one, who doesn't want to share you." Juvia sighs and shakes her head, pushing away thoughts of her own possessiveness. Although, she would have made sure _everyone_ knew Gray was hers, and to stay the fuck away from him. "Or she could be someone who likes to take her time to make a decision, and if she isn't sure, she doesn't want people to know it."

"Those are all insane!" Natsu pulls at his hair. "If she doesn't want to answer questions, she doesn't have to! She doesn't have to share me, and she doesn't take forever to decide, not even which restaurant she wants to eat at! Do you have any idea how long it takes Lucy to decide something like that?"

"Weeks." Laxus laments.

"Weeks!" Natsu shouts. "Juvia, I'm goin' crazy trying to keep this all a secret when she makes me so happy I just want to shout it to the world! What do I do?"

"I think we've already established that I am not the one to ask about unresponsive romantic partners." She smirks. "But, have you _told_ her how happy she makes you?"

"Oh. Well, uh, no."

"Perhaps you could start there."

"Thanks, Juvia!"

"You're welcome." She smiles, feeling pride swell in her chest.

 _I've contributed to my_ _guild mate. My temporary teammate. Is this what it feels like to really_ belong _to a guild, and not just wear its brand?_

Suddenly, the Dragon Slayers all turn up their noses and sniff. Juvia prepares to fight, but Gajeel just puts his hand on her shoulder and shakes his head.

"Looks like we don't have to climb the rest of this mountain." Laxus says.

"Hey, Sting! Rogue!" Natsu shouts, running along the path with his hands aflame. "Catch this!"

"HEY!" The two's voices can be heard. "WHAT THE HELL, NATSU?"

Juvia giggles, pulling some amused stares from Laxus, Gajeel, and Jellal.

A few seconds later, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue appear at the snack site, the Sabertooth members looking very disgruntled.

"Shit." Sting looks at the group of perhaps the most powerful mages in Fiore with trepidation. "What's wrong?"

By the time Sting and Rogue have been caught up, they are both looking tense and irritated.

"SO?!" Natsu demands. "What did your Dragons say about it?"

"Nothing." Rogue sulks. "I've never even heard of Dragons having mates."

"WHA–?!" Everyone balks.

"Why the hell did we trek all the way here, then?" Gajeel shouts, a frazzled look on his face. "On a fucking train!"

"Don't blame us! You could have called." Sting points out.

Gajeel lunges at him, but Laxus clotheslines Gajeel, knocking him out cold. Juvia kneels down and lifts Gajeel's head onto her lap, stroking his forehead with her wet sleeve.

"Poor Gajeel." Juvia shakes her head. "He just wants to love Levy."

"Hnnh." He groans. "Levy."

"What now?" Natsu shouts, little puffs of fire shooting from his mouth. "It's not like we have anymore Dra–." He cuts himself off, and Laxus looks at him with something close to terror. "There is one more Dragon Slayer."


	7. Chapter 7

Erza paces back forth on the dock behind the guild hall, trying to call herself down. Why should she feel like this? She and Jellal have talked about their relationship before…right? Erza scrambles to remember how they finally got together in the first place, groaning when she remembers that it didn't involve talking at all.

* * *

 _18 months ago_

They did it!

Acnologia is defeated; the Dragon Slayers have been returned; everyone is okay.

Erza pushes her way through the jubilant crowd and back toward the shore, where Jellal is holding a bawling Kagura. Erza keeps her distance, not wanting to disturb whatever's happening, but also ready to jump in should Kagura change her mind and try to kill Jellal again. It is several minutes before Kagura settles down and pulls back from Jellal, wiping her eyes.

"I'm so sorry!"

"I am the one who is sorry," Jellal replies. "I will never forget Simon, nor what I did to him."

"He died to save the one he loved. You love her, too, don't you?" She looks at Jellal, who averts his gaze and blushes. "Then take care of her like my brother would have. Live for him." She kisses Jellal's forehead, and before running off to her guild, smirks and says, "Starting now."

Jellal looks confused for a moment, then notices Erza. He smiles, struggles to his feet, and walks over to her.

Erza's heart is nearly beating out of her chest. She is more nervous than during the battle. She might actually pass out! Why, cruel Fate? Why, when she has finally decided to take action?

Jellal frowns as he gets closer to her, rips the sleeve off of his shirt, then grabs her by the arm. He ties the sleeve around her upper arm, saying, "You're losing a lot of blood, Erza. We should get you –."

Erza kisses him. She kisses him the way she's wanted to nearly her whole life. She kisses him like she might never have the chance again, because, hey–she might not.

Everything went black after that.

* * *

Erza goes completely still on the dock; she doesn't even breath.

 _He didn't say it,_ she thinks. _He didn't say anything when Kagura asked him if he loved me. Has he ever said it?!_

Erza tries to remember the last time he said, "I love you, Erza." She can't remember. He must have said it sometime! Why else would she stay with him for so long?

 _You had what you wanted and you never stopped to ask if he did, too._

Her knees wobble and she nearly falls.

 _Screw this._

Erza strengthens her resolve, in turn strengthening her body. She walks into the guild hall, determined to have a good time with her friends until Jellal arrives, and determined to have a good time after, no matter what happens. One thing she has realized is that Gray has some good points, even if his conclusions might be flawed: Jellal does not communicate with Erza as often as she wants, nor does he spend as much time with her as she wants. Both of those things have made Erza behave differently for Jellal in an unconscious attempt to get his attention, instead of just outright telling Jella what she needs from him. So Erza resolves to have a straightforward conversation with Jellal, and to be outcome independent about it; she has her needs, but if they can't or won't be met by Jellal, her life isn't over.

"Erza!" Levy leaves Jet and Droy at their table to run over to the redhead. Quietly, Levy says, "I am _so_ sorry!"

"I appreciate your apology, Levy. Accepted."

"Great! You wanna eat with Team Shadowgear?"

"I'd love to."

"Kiwi, Miss Erza?" Pantherlily offers as Levy and Erza take a seat.

"No, thank you, Lily. Where is Gajeel?" Erza looks around the guild hall and can't see him anywhere.

Levy, Jet, and Droy all groan, and Lily just chuckles. "He has gone on a mission with the other Dragon Slayers."

"I don't think I heard you right." Erza says, lowering her head to be closer to Lily.

"He is on a mission with the other Dragon Slayers."

"On purpose?"

"Yes," Lily laughs, "on purpose."

"Wow. What kind of mission could possibly get the four of them to work together?"

"Four?" Levy asks.

"Laxus, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy. You said the Dragon Slayers, correct?"

"As far as I know," Pantherlily says, "Wendy is not with them. I believe she is visiting Shellia at Lamia Scale."

"That's troubling; she is the only one who works well with each of them, and has the best chance at keeping them all from killing each other."

"I hadn't thought about that." Levy says worriedly.

"They will be fine," Lily assures them. "I am positive that their mission is more important to them than any feud that may arise."

"What's their mission?" Erza asks.

"Look at that," Lily looks at the cuff on his wrist, which does not contain a watch, "time for me to go."

He flies off before Erza can grab him and force him to tell her.

"What was that about?" Erza smacks the table.

"He won't tell us, either." Levy says. "So…you have any plans tonight?"

"Crime Sorciére will be here soon; I'm sure an inter-guild party will get started soon after." Erza smiles.

As if on cue, Crime Sorciére enters the guild hall.

"Love!" Richard shouts.

"Give it a rest." Macbeth says lazily.

Erza's gut churns with anger, betrayal, and disappointment: Jellal isn't here. So now she has an answer. She slams a butter knife halfway into the wooden table and storms out the back of the guild hall.

So much for being outcome independent.

* * *

"She is not happy," Erik steps next to Meredy at the entrance of the guild.

"What did she think?"

"Words I've never heard her think before."

"Shit."

"Yep, that was one of 'em; preceded by 'little piece of,'" he chuckles.

"This isn't funny, Erik! Jellal could lose her!"

"Nah; she's head-over-heels for him. She's just upset that she can't jump his bones now…my thoughts, not hers," he adds at Meredy's look of shock.

"You perv! You know he hasn't been right for weeks, even if he has figured out how to stop you from reading his mind."

Erik pouts at this comment and crosses his arms petulantly.

"We can't let whatever is making him act so strange break up him and Erza! They must! be! together!" Meredy shakes Erik by his collar.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because they're Jellal and Erza! Erza and Jellal! Jerza!"

"You did not just combine their names like celebrities."

"You bet your ass I did! Where did she go?"

"She didn't think that."

Meredy groans and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Wherever Jellal is, he'd better get his shit together soon."

* * *

"A-choo!" Jellal sneezes.

"Oh, no!" Juvia says. "I've given you a cold."

"Don't worry about me, Juvia. I feel fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

They walk silently together, watching the Dragon Slayers up ahead of them as they all head back toward the train station.

"Jellal. Did…did Gray actually _say_ that he loves Erza?" Juvia asks timidly.

"Yes." Jellal says quietly.

"Oh. And…and you really tried to kill him?"

"Yes."

Juvia notices the Dragon Slayers tense up and turn their heads slightly, presumably in anticipation of her attacking Jellal. Yet, she feels no antipathy toward the man. It is strange, feeling this detached from the life of the one she's been obsessing over for so many years. She wonders if this signals some sort of growth on her part, or if it just means that she never really cared about Gray as a person, only as a possession. She hopes the former, but can easily see the case to be made for the latter.

"Why didn't you?" She asks.

Jellal sighs, and looks at Juvia for a moment. "You were at the Tower of Heaven; you saw what a monster I had allowed myself to become because of my hatred."

"You were possessed," Juvia points out.

"And I'm not now. If I had murdered Gray, it would have meant that the monster has always been me. Not to mention that I would not only lose Erza, but she would insist on being the one to take my life; I couldn't do that to her."

"You are a good man, Jellal."

"A good man wouldn't even have thought of killing him."

"Listen here, runt." Laxus appears suddenly, grabbing Jellal by the collar and lifting him off his feet.

"LAXUS!" Everyone shouts, but no one steps in just yet.

"I'm sick and tired of your bitchin' and moanin'. Every man, good or bad, would have thought of killing him. Only a perfect man wouldn't have, and no one is perfect. This world is an imperfect place, and you will never make it perfect, understood? The more you try, the more miserable you'll be, which means Titania will be miserable, which means Lucy will be miserable. And anyone who makes Lucy miserable will face my fuckin' wrath, got it?"

Everyone stands by tensely, prepared to either fight or take flight, depending on how serious the magic gets.

"Is Erza really that terrible to be around when she's mad at me?" Jellal asks after what feels like an eternity.

"She's a fuckin' barbarian!" Laxus cries.

"True dat." Natsu nods vehemently, making everyone giggle, and breaking the tension.

Jellal smirks. "I guess I'd better learn to accept that I'm not perfect, then."

"Thank Mavis." Laxus releases Jellal unceremoniously, and the blue-haired mage nearly loses his footing. "I was ready to strangle the emo right out of you."

"Here, here!" Gajeel shouts.

"Aye!" Natsu and Happy nod their heads.

"Frosch, too."

Jellal blushes and runs his hand through his hair.

"Well, stop gawking at him already." Juvia runs interference for him. "We have a train to catch!"

"Thank you." Jellal tells her as everyone continues toward the station.

"You're welcome."

"You know, you're the last person I thought would be kind to me. I thought you–"

"I did…do," she admits with a sigh. "But he doesn't belong to me. I realize now that I can't make him love me, and if I love him, I'd want him to be happy, even without me."

Jellal makes a strange noise, but Juvia doesn't hear.

"How blind I was, so worried about Lucy as my love-rival, I never even considered Erza. If anyone were to go after Erza, I would have guessed Natsu."

"Natsu?!" Everyone rounds on her.

"It isn't so far-fetched!" Juvia says defensively. "He pretended to be her to save her from the Magic Council; she saved him in the battle against Aria when Phantom Lord attacked; he refused to abandon her to you–the former you," she looks at Jellal, "in the Tower of Heaven; he–"

"You've made your point." Jellal says, giving Natsu a suspicious glare.

"Erza's my teammate." Natsu shrugs matter-of-factly. "Of course I was always there for her. I caught Lucy after she jumped out of Phantom Lord's tower, too, but I'm not in love with her, either."

"She did what?!" Everyone, especially Juvia and Gajeel, round on Natsu this time.

"Yeah. Jose was keeping her in the tower, and she decided it was better to jump. But only because she saw me comin' up the path!" He hastens to say when he sees the looks of horror on Gajeel and Juvia's faces. "She knew I would catch her. Come on, we gotta get to the station!"

Once again, they are off. Jellal and Juvia walk silently for a few minutes, then Jellal looks up at the dark sky and asks,

"How do you control the weather so effortlessly?"

"I don't. It just is." She shrugs, and after a moment, says, "I never saw blue sky before Gray. I thought he was my soul mate." She shakes her head and looks up at the dark gray sky above them and a tear trickles from her eye. "I wonder if I'll ever see it again."

"Listen here, you two gloomy gus-es." Gajeel turns around and jumps in front of Juvia and Jellal.

"Gloomy?" Juvia whimpers.

"You heard me, Rain Woman: gloomy. Watcha gonna do about it?"

"Uh, I–"

"Lay off her, Gajeel," Laxus growls.

"You don't like bein' called gloomy?" Gajeel demands an answer.

"N-no."

"I can't hear you!"

"Gajeel." Natsu warns.

"No." Juvia says a little more firmly.

"What was that?"

"Gajeel, come on man." Sting interrupts.

Gajeel continues glaring at Juvia.

"NO!" She finally shouts.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not gloomy! Not anymore!"

"Ha! Prove it!"

"I'm Juvia-fuckin'-Locksar! The Rain Woman! I belong to Fairy Tail, and I am powerful enough to protect my friends! The mighty 'Black Steel' Gajeel–" she pokes him hard in the chest, "–refuses to fight me." This draws an eye tick from Gajeel, but he keeps his mouth shut. "I have nothing to be gloomy about! So why don't you–"

She stops poking Gajeel in the chest to look up at the sky. The blue sky. The sunny, bright blue sky. Juvia covers her mouth with her hands, and tears run down her face, but she is laughing.

"I did it!" She grins at Gajeel.

"Told ya ya could." Gajeel says proudly, giving her boogies again. "Now, can you two puh-lease find some other way of bonding besides your angst?"

Juvia laughs, a full, from-the-belly kind of laugh, that makes everyone else join in.

"We were being kind of petty, weren't we?"

"We apologize." Jellal bows his head.

"Yo!" Rogue rolls his eyes. "As stupid as it is that five Dragon Slayers are anxious to get on a moving vehicle, we have a train to catch!"

* * *

Erza walked around the lake for almost two hours, though she can't figure out why: she always ends up in the same spot next to the river. Ever since she joined Fairy Tail, this has been _her_ spot. Somehow, this spot hasn't attracted anyone else, and every time she comes here, she finds solitude. Her walk around the lake had been anger-fueled and indignant, but now that she is in her spot, her buried feelings rise to the surface with her tears.

What a fool she has been. She can see it all now, from always walking away from her, to evading Kagura's question, to his unease at the wedding reception, to leaving her without a word, and not showing up with the rest of his guild today: he never loved her. That's not true; she is certain that he loves her. He just isn't _in love_ with her. She should have figured that no man could date a woman he's in love with for a year and a half and not sleep with her.

Erza groans at her stupidity, dropping her head between her knees. Sure, they had kissed and made-out, but he had always kept it PG. It was infuriating! When she confronted him about it, he told her that he was old-fashioned, then distracted her ire with strawberry cheesecake. She had to admit that she always had fun with him when he was around. He always had something for them to do, somewhere for them to be; he made sure that they made the most out of their time together. She just wished that had included sex, too, dammit!

It appears it was for the best, though. She would undoubtedly be taking this whole situation a lot worse if she had slept with him. At least he was gentleman enough to not satisfy his needs with her when he knew it would have meant so much more to her than to him. Her heart clenches as she wonders who _has_ been satisfying his needs. Surely, someone; he is a man, after all. The idea makes her want to die.

She is struck with the thought of Simon, and Kagura's imperative to Jellal: to take care of Erza the way Simon would have. Has all of this been some misplaced attempt at honoring Simon, and Kagura's request? Could Jellal have been so deluded as to think that lying to her, playing with her heart like this, is what Simon would have wanted? Is what _she_ wants?

Erza tries to fight the sobs. Her body shakes, tears fall down her face, but she makes no noise until she feels a familiar arm wrap around her shoulders. She cries out then, because there's only one other person who knows about this place, and he's come to console her instead of to gloat.

"Gray–"

"Sshhh," he coos, squeezing her closer to him. "Don't worry about me."

She's not sure how long she cries, only that the sun has nearly set when she runs out of tears. When she finally sits up, Gray is holding out a handkerchief to her. She laughs and calls him an old man before wiping her tears and blowing her nose.

"Thank you."

"Any time."

"I owe you another broadsword."

"What for?"

"For dismissing you, when all you did was tell me the truth."

Gray sighs, and grits his teeth, but says, "Maybe not."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Erza," he takes a deep breath as he turns to face her head on. "I love you. I'm _in_ love with you. For years."

Erza's heart pounds furiously, and feels like it has lodged in her throat. Her forehead breaks out in sweat, and she scrambles for something to say. Fortunately, Gray continues,

"I don't like Jellal, but I have to admit when I'm wrong, 'cause if I have any chance at swaying you, I want it to be clean. I don't want you to have any doubts."

"I don't understand."

"I can see now that I let my hatred of Jellal, and my love for you, blind me to some things. Like, he's the poorest person I know, and he probably doesn't feel like he can settle down until he can offer you something."

"That's ridi–"

"It isn't, though, Erza. Even with a woman like you–actually, especially with a woman like you–who is his equal, and often his better, any decent man wants to feel like he's contributing to the relationship."

"What relationship?!" Erza punches the ground. "He's not even here!"

"About that," Gray blushes sheepishly. "I think it's my fault."

"How?"

"You remember the wedding reception?"

"Not well," she admits.

Gray chuckles. "Me, neither. But what I do remember is that I had some sort of confrontation with Jellal over you."

"Wha–what?" She gasps.

"I don't remember much, just that it happened."

 _That explains everything!_

Erza sighs and shakes her head. "That only explains the last couple of weeks; there's so much more."

"I'm not going to try to talk you out of whatever that is–I am trying to win you over, after all," he winks at her good-naturedly, making her relax, and laugh a little. "But, I want to win you over fair and square, not because I may have–accidentally, of course–planted untrue doubts in your mind about your boyfriend."

"You're my best friend," she says emotionally after a few moments. Gray smiles at her, brushing some hair off her cheek. "You told me things no one else was willing to say. And I think they're true."

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "For your sake, I wish they weren't. I want you to be happy, Erza, even if it's not with me. Even if it's with that Smurf. In fact, I'll go find him and drag him here if that will make you feel better."

Erza searches Gray's eyes for any hint of deceit or manipulation, but can find none. That fact shouldn't make her want to cry, but it does.

"Why are you such a good man?" She tries to laugh, but it comes out closer to a sob.

"Because of you." He says simply.

Erza stares at him wonderingly, blood pounding in her ears as she contemplates the unthinkable. Her eyes move to his mouth, and she starts to lean forward.

"Erza." Gray puts his hands on her shoulders and gently pushes her away from him. "That'll only confuse you."

"It could un-confuse me." She says softly.

Gray gulps, and shakes his head, but his left hand tangles into her hair and pulls her a little closer. "Erza…"

"Gray." Erza raises an eyebrow at him.

"You should really talk to Jellal first."

"Why?" She hisses. "He never talks to me!"

"That only makes him a man, not someone who doesn't love you."

Erza scoffs.

"Our friendship can survive everything we've put it through since yesterday. It can even survive my confession of love. It won't survive even a kiss under these uncertain circumstances. If we're both wrong, and Jellal _is_ in love with you, you'll regret this kiss, and start to hate me for making you doubt." He releases her hair and pushes her a little farther away. "I would die if you hated me."

Erza sighs and turns back to the river. What if Jellal does love her? What if he wants to give her everything she's ever dreamed of? What if they are going to live happily ever after? Is that still what she wants? Is _Jellal_ still who she wants? She knows that she and Gray are nearly-perfectly compatible; she could easily be happy with him.

 _Not as happy as with Jellal._

 _You've never allowed yourself to be in love with anyone but Jellal. Gray could probably make you just as happy, if you were to let him._

"Gray," Erza's voice cracks, so she clears her throat and says again, "Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

"Not even a little."

"Then why are you fighting for me?"

"Because I love you. I _chose_ to love you. I never had the guts to say it 'til now, and I know I may be too late. I just couldn't let you continue pining over him, thinking he's all you've got. I'm here for you Erza; as your best friend if you choose Jellal...as more, if you don't."

Erza is breathless. How has she had this man in her life for so long and never realized who he is, and who he could be to her? Why did he wait so long to confess?

 _I don't care! I'm in love with Jellal._

 _Whom you believe is not in love with you, dipstick._

"Gray, I'm in love with Jellal. I know I am, all the way into my bones. And...and I'm glad you told me how you feel. I'm glad to know you're in my corner."

"No matter what."

"I do love you." Erza kisses his cheek. "Maybe one day, I'll be in love with you, too."

"I'm crossing my fingers." He grins at her.

* * *

 **I apologize for the long chapter; there just weren't any good breaks, and deletions weren't happening. Also, I apologize for the Grayza scene; it makes me feel like a dirty, guilty betrayer, but it couldn't be helped. Just remember, this really is a JERZA fan fic, even though it doesn't seem like it.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Thirty Minutes Ago_

Lucy wakes up from her nap on the couch with a distinctly ominous feeling fluttering around her chest. After watching Erza fly back to the shore, the tension of staring her down–not to mention the emotional upheaval of everything else that happened today–caught up with Lucy hard; it was more nerve-wracking than taking on Acnologia! Lucy isn't sure how she managed to keep her knees from buckling beneath her.

She can't even imagine what Erza is dealing with right now. Lucy is sure that if Natsu, or even Gray, had confessed his love for her while she was having doubts about Laxus' commitment to her, she would be handling things a lot like Erza; probably worse. Lucy laughs at herself, picturing the fountains of tears that would be gushing from her eyes in such a situation. She pulls out her lacrima phone and starts dialing, but stops before hitting the call button.

She doesn't like to call Laxus while he's on a mission because he always forgets to put his phone on silent, and she doesn't want her call to be the one that gives him away in some dangerous situation. But she could really use his advice, not to mention that just thinking about him makes her feel peaceful and happy. She could use some peace and happiness right now.

 _Mira said he's not on an official mission._

 _Yeah, but he went with_ Natsu and Gajeel _; they have to be doing something heavy-duty for him to voluntarily spend time alone with those two._

 _He left the Thunder Legion behind; if it were really serious, he would have brought them along._

 _But, what could they be doing, then?!_

 _Call and find out._

Lucy hits the call button and waits nervously for Laxus to pick up. He does, before the first ring is even finished.

"Hey, babe." His grinning face fills the lacrima phone, and Lucy's heart fills with joy.

"Hey." She smiles back at him. "I miss you."

"OOoooOO!" Several voices can be heard off-screen.

"Don't be jealous 'cause none of your women have called you," Laxus teases to a chorus of "boo", then turns back to the phone. "You miss me, huh? I've only been gone a few hours."

"I know, but they've been some of the most difficult hours of my life." Lucy bats her eyelashes in an attempt to tease him.

"Shit, Lucy; why are you crying?" Laxus brings the phone closer to his face, not realizing that now all she can see is his nose.

"I'm not," she says, but then she feels the first tear hit her cheek. The dam breaks, then, and she wails, "I don't know what to do, Laxus!"

"Fuuuuuuuck," he whispers.

"I love them so much, and I want them all to be happy! How do I make them all happy?! It's impossible! Someone is going to be fucking miserable and there's nothing I can do about it! Laxus!" She sobs. "What do I do?"

"Slow down, babe," Laxus says, his voice catching. "Who are we talking about?"

"Erza, Jellal, and Gray!"

"What about Erza and Gray?" Jellal demands, yanking the phone from Laxus.

Lucy is so surprised at his sudden appearance that she stops crying. It takes her a moment to register that she is really looking at him, but when she does, she starts crying even harder.

"What the fuck did you do?" Laxus grabs Jellal by the collar and shakes him.

"You're supposed to be _here_!" Lucy wails. "I stood up for you! I told Erza not to give up on you, even though it meant hurting my teammate! I fucking took your side and now you're not even gonna show up? She's waiting for you right now, asshole!"

Even through her tears and the fuzzy lacrima screen, she can see Jellal turn paler than usual.

"Lucy." Jellal's voice is eerily quiet. "She's given up on me?"

"Are you surprised?" Lucy hisses nastily, surprising Jellal and Laxus, and even herself. "You've completely left her hanging, and that was before you decided you were too cool to come see her!" She shakes her head and makes a frustrated sound. "I can't believe Gray was right about you!"

"What the fuck did that little weasel say about me?" Jellal growls, and Lucy can see his magic seeping into the air around him.

"Oh! Fuck this noise!" She shouts. "Laxus, where are you?"

"Uh…"

"Five miles west of Onibus Station." Sting's voice answers.

Lucy hangs up, then pulls out her keys. "Open: Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

Loke appears instantly, a change of celestial clothes in his hands. He turns around while Lucy changes, then transports her directly in front of Jellal, who is practically frothing at the mouth.

"Lucyyyyy-kick!"

Jellal flies into Juvia, Natsu, Rogue, and Gajeel, knocking them over like bowling pins.

"How dare you?" Lucy stomps over to Jellal, who is struggling to breathe. The other mages scramble to get out of Lucy's way, not even noticing that Jellal is furiously leaking magic energy. "You don't EVER get to talk shit about Gray, you got that?" Thunder claps loudly overhead, and dark storm clouds move in over them. "He only wants what's best for Erza, and he kept his feelings to himself for as long as he believed that was you!"

"What do you mean 'kept?'" Jellal asks dangerously. Lightning streaks across the sky in an orange flash, the crack loud and earth-shaking.

"You're supposed to be intelligent, Jellal; figure it out!"

More thunder rolls across the land, making the Dragon Slayers a little queazy.

Jellal shuts his eyes and grinds his teeth as he tries to control his breathing. Lightning crashes around them, and his magic energy fluctuates wildly, making everyone back away except Lucy, and, as a consequence, Laxus and Natsu.

"Lucy?" Natsu whispers.

"Sh!" She doesn't even turn to look at him.

As Lucy watches Jellal struggle so desperately with his anger and control, she realizes something: he couldn't possibly have known about what happened this morning, yet he already holds so much antipathy toward Gray. She has never seen them have a poor interaction before, so what happened? Why does Jellal hate Gray? It could only be related to why Jellal left without a word during her wedding reception.

Lucy walks toward Jellal just as his strongest wave of magic yet pulses into the air, but she walks through it like it's nothing more than a breeze. She drops to her knees in front of him and throws her arms around him.

"I'm sorry I kicked you," she says softly.

The storm disappears immediately, leaving just the evening sky.

Jellal wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her shoulder. Lucy gently rubs his back, biting her lip when she feels him start to shake.

 _He's crying?!_

 _I'm a monster!_

"I'm not strong enough, Lucy. I want to be. But I'm not. She's better off with Gray."

Jellal practically collapses as he finishes his sentence. His weight is almost too much for Lucy to support, and the despair in his voice makes her cry.

"Please, don't give up, Jellal."

"She deserves better than me! I can't face her like this, Lucy!"

"This is exactly how you should face her. She doesn't expect you to be perfect; she just needs to know how in love with her you are."

"In love enough that I almost killed Gray," he says bitterly, trying to push Lucy away from him, but she just holds on tighter.

"In love enough that you didn't," she replies, though her stomach churns at the thought.

"Lucy, you don't–."

"I don't need to. You hate Gray; that's understandable, given the circumstances. But you also love Erza more than you hate him, otherwise you'd both be dead." She feels Jellal flinch at this. "You have to talk to her, Jellal. Erase her doubts."

"What if she doesn't–?"

"She does. No matter what she thinks you feel about her, every cell of her body is in love with you."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Jellal lets out a cleansing breath, and straightens up to face Lucy. He cups her face in his hands, which draws a low warning growl from Laxus, then kisses her forehead.

"Thank you, Lucy."

"Any time, sensei." She turns to Loke and starts to ask, "Will you–?"

"Already done." Loke holds out a set of celestial clothes to Jellal. "Change into those, and I can take you and Lucy back immediately."

While Jellal walks into the forest for some privacy, Lucy pushes herself to her feet.

"Eeek!" Lucy's eyes bug out. "J-juvia! How long have you been here?"

"The entire time." She shrugs.

"And…and you're not upset?"

"Upset?" Juvia grins and points up at the clear sky above them. "What's there to be upset about?"

"Juvia!" Lucy runs to her friend and hugs her tightly. "The rain's gone!"

"I know!" Juvia squeals.

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Gajeel might have helped a little." Juvia playfully elbows him.

"Not at all." Gajeel replies, but he blushes a little and tries to hide the smile on his face.

"You know, Lucy: for a bunch of dragons, they sure are very good men." Juvia looks at each of the Dragon Slayers.

"They are, aren't they?" Lucy grins.

Each of the Dragon Slayers blush, but each of their chests puff up proudly, making the two women laugh.

"What are you all doing together, anyway?" Lucy asks.

When all of the Dragon Slayers look guiltily at their feet, and none of them give an answer, Juvia says, "Apparently, dragons have mates, but none of them knows how to tell who she is."

Lucy's mouth twitches and she has to bite her tongue not to laugh. So this is what had Gajeel in a tizzy this morning. She takes a deep breath and says, "I see. None of you knows, then?"

"Yeah." Sting nods.

"So you're hoping Erik or Wendy does."

"I totally forgot about Cobra!" Natsu laughs. "He's second-gen, though, so he wouldn't know any more than Laxus."

"Watch it."

"It's true!"

"Come 'ere," Lucy crooks her finger at Laxus. Laxus's gloomy demeanor changes instantly, and he saunters over to her with a wolfish grin on his face. Lucy hooks her finger in his collar and pulls him down to her mouth for a long kiss. "I love you."

" _I_ love _you_."

"Don't sweat this 'mate' thing too much, okay?" Lucy says as she and Jellal link arms with Loke. She shrugs and says, "If you do have a mate who isn't me, I'll just kill her."

The next few moments are a blur, then she, Jellal, and Loke are standing in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"Perfect timing, Loke; as always." Lucy laughs, thinking of the shock on Laxus's face. Loke laughs with her, but they are both cut short as Jellal frantically flings open the guild doors.

Everything falls silent even before Jellal shouts, "Where's Erza?!"

"Jellal!" Meredy appears in front of him instantly, hugging him tightly. "Where did–?"

"Where is Erza, Meredy?" Jellal shakes his guild mate by the shoulders.

"I don't know."

"Erik!" Jellal shouts, searching the guild but seeing no sign of him. "Where is he? He can track her."

"He's not here; I haven't been able to find him, either." Meredy says quietly.

Jellal looks desperately at Lucy, whose eyes widen like a deer in the headlights. "Now what?"

* * *

Erza trudges up the path to Fairy Hills, her mascara running down her face with her tears. She wasn't lying when she told Gray that she was glad he told her how he felt, but she could do without this pain and anguish. She has loved Jellal nearly her whole life, and now that she is aware that she is capable of being in love with someone else, her entire world feels askew. Not to mention that she is now trying to account for Gray's feelings in her decision-making process, which makes it infinitely more difficult to figure out what she should do.

 _Since when? You know who you want; what's so difficult?_

 _He doesn't want me._

 _Quit trying to make a choice based on information that you know is incomplete. Take Jellal at his word._

 _Ha!_

If Erza has learned anything about men in her life, it's that they will do just about anything out of a sense of duty and honor. For years, it seemed as if that was exactly why Jellal stayed away from her: it would be dishonorable for him to be with the woman who was loved by the man he murdered. And now, it seems that trying to honor that same man may be the very reason that he _is_ with her.

 _Besides, if I'm to take him at his word, I should believe that he has a fiancée…What if he really_ does _have a fiancée?!_

Before she can begin that terrible spiral, she hears glass shatter loudly, and someone shout, "Ow!"

"Cana?" Erza runs behind the dorm building to where the dumpster is kept.

Cana is leaning against the wall, a broken bottle of wine at her feet. At first, Erza thinks there must have been some wine left in the bottle, but then realizes that Cana would never waste wine, and that that is blood all over Cana's foot. Erza lifts Cana bridal-style and carries her over to a stone retaining wall.

"Erza…are you okay?" Cana asks as the redhead examines her foot.

"You have glass in your foot. Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

"I was just throwing away some bottles, not going on a hike." Cana crosses her arms defensively.

"Climb on." Erza turns her back to Cana. "I have everything we need in my apartment."

Cana latches her arms around Erza's neck and accepts the piggy-back ride up to Erza's floor.

"Dude." Cana looks at the broken vanity, and the mirror fragments still scattered across the floor. "What happened?"

"I was angry."

"Obviously. What happened?"

"Put your foot on the coffee table." Erza directs as she pulls a lamp from an end table to the coffee table and removes the shade.

"Not until you talk to me. What's wrong?"

"Your foot is bleeding, that's what's wrong."

"Yeah, but I'm not crying; you _are_. Why?"

"Because I'm a terrible person and it's finally caught up with me!" Erza shouts, slamming her fist down on the wooden coffee table. Luckily, it is sturdier than her vanity, and barely makes a creaking noise at the pressure.

Cana laughs until Erza levels her with a death-glare, then says, "You can't possibly be worse than me, Erza."

"A year and a half ago, I used Gray to make Jellal jealous so that he would finally start dating me, and now Jellal is nowhere to be found and Gray is in love with me."

Cana blinks owlishly at Erza, then slowly says, "Six months ago, I lured Natsu up the Hill to make out with him and stole him right out from under Lucy."

It is Erza's turn to blink, but she is soon laughing hysterically. "You and Natsu?!"

"Shut up!" Cana smacks Erza's shoulder, but she is laughing, too. "I fuckin' love that knucklehead."

"Wha–?!"

"I know." Cana grins and leans back into the couch. "I was surprised, too, but here I am."

"Why have you two kept it a secret?" Erza asks as she begins cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide.

"Did you not just hear me say that I stole him out from under Lucy?"

"She married Laxus! She doesn't care about you and Natsu."

"That isn't the point! I was her friend and I used Natsu's insecurities to trick him into kissing me!"

"You're still her friend, Cana. Knowing Lucy, she probably already knows."

"She what?! What has she said?"

"Nothing. But, she knew about my deception, as well, without me hardly saying anything."

"Maybe _she_ should be a card-mage." Cana sighs.

"Speaking of which: why haven't you just read the cards to see how she'll react?"

"I'm too scared." Cana shakes her head, wincing as Erza pulls a sliver of glass from the top of her foot. "Even if I did read them, I couldn't trust the results."

"I am going to finish taking care of your foot, and then we are going to find Lucy."

"No!"

"Yes." Erza responds firmly, making Cana nod her head acquiescently. "I need to talk to her myself."

* * *

Gray stares up at the quickly-darkening sky and wonders if it's a sign that his relationship with Erza is coming to an end, just like the day. The more he thinks about it, the more he doubts his assessment of Jellal, which means that Jellal isn't going anywhere; but Gray most certainly will be if Jellal has anything to say about it.

Gray can't imagine life without Erza, but he can also understand why Jellal would take issue with Gray remaining as involved in Erza's life as he now is. Maybe he should have just kept his stupid mouth shut. No, that wouldn't have worked well, either. Keeping his feelings to himself is what led him to this point in the first place: they clouded his judgment and now he's lost his best friend and broken up his team. He probably could have avoided all this if he had just talked with someone–Lucy, Bix, even Mira.

Gray shudders; definitely not Mira.

"There you are."

Gray whips his head around toward the voice. "Loke?"

"You've caused a real stir around here." Loke grins and takes a seat next to his best friend.

"You've heard, huh?"

"I'm pretty sure all of Fiore knows at this point. Lucy's lookin' for you."

"Do me a favor?"

Loke looks confused at the abrupt change, but nods his head. "Sure."

"Grab me a mission?"

"You're bailing?"

"It's for the best, man."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Erza! Gray!" Lucy's voice carries over to them.

"I can't lie to her," Loke says, "but I'll do my best to cover for you."

"Thanks."

Loke saunters back up the hill, and Gray hears Lucy ask, "Did you find them?"

"Nope."

 _That sneaky bastard_ , Gray smirks. Lucy is going to tear his head off when she finds out he exploited a loophole like that.

"Loke!" Lucy shouts in frustration. "Hustle, man! This is serious! We have to find him before Jellal, otherwise–"

Gray doesn't hear the end of her sentence. He doesn't need to; Jellal has already found him.

* * *

 **Despite the Grayza nonsense (JERZA FOR LIFE!), I'm really glad my muse made me write this story. No one else is, but that's okay. I knew going in that the majority of both Jerza and Grayza fans were going to hate it. However, it has been a wonderful way for me to expand my horizons, question my views on a lot of topics, and hopefully begin to articulate them somewhat intelligibly, whether anyone likes them or not.**

 **I don't know how many chapters are left, but not many. I'm also considering re-writing my original story in this AU, Riders on the Storm, and combining the two stories into one so that I can continue writing stories for this AU and have them all in one place...in case anyone's interested, lol**


	9. Chapter 9

"You are officially a member of the Thunder Legion." Laxus laughs exuberantly as he backstrokes his way across the train car.

With help from Gajeel, who sealed off any areas with potential for leaks, Juvia filled an empty luggage car with water with the aim of minimizing the Dragon Slayers' motion sickness. It had been difficult to convince the engineer to give her permission until the five Dragon Slayers, having overheard the conversation, showed up to convince him.

"No, she ain't!" Gajeel pauses his water-wrestle with Sting to growl at Laxus. "She and I are makin' our own team."

"No way!" Natsu leaves his splash-war with Juvia to dunk Gajeel under the water. "She's on Team Natsu! We have two Dragon Slayers, which means we need her twice as much as either of you!"

Gajeel drags Natsu under the water where they struggle against each other for a few moments before surfacing, spluttering and spitting water.

"What do you want to join Sabertooth?" Rogue asks seriously, surprising everyone.

"I'm flattered," Juvia says.

"WHA–?!" The Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers look devastated.

"However," she smirks deviously, "Fairy Tail for life!"

She sends a small wave toward Rogue, who ducks beneath it.

"WHOO-HOO!" Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus shout. "Take that, Sabertooth!"

"Eek!" Juvia barely has time to yelp before Rogue pulls her under the water by her ankles. She emerges quickly, and so does Rogue, with a roguish smile on his face. Juvia laughs, lunges at him with surprising speed, and dunks him under the water, beginning a battle that will last the entire train ride.

* * *

As Jellal stares down at Gray, he can barely contain his emotions: anger, hatred, pain, shame, guilt. He feels like he could release another Sema, but that isn't an option here. He is forced to deal with these emotions like a fucking adult, and he resents that; he resents that Gray is forcing this growth of character.

Gray stares back at Jellal, his body tense and ready to spring. Out of the way, or at Jellal, Jellal doesn't know. What he does know is that Gray isn't giving him the same look of hatred he did two weeks ago. It is not a friendly look, but neither is it antagonistic. That takes some of the wind out of Jellal's sails, and he says,

"I'm not here to fight you again."

"Again?"

Jellal cocks his head to the side a little. "You don't remember the reception?"

"A little." Gray shrugs.

Jellal hangs his head in shame, then says quietly, "I almost killed you."

After an unbearable silence, Gray asks, "Why didn't you?"

Jellal looks Gray straight in the eyes. "I could never do that to Erza. Not again."

"Tch." Gray pouts and looks away.

Jellal wants to smack the kid, but, instead, takes a seat on the grass next to him. "I know I'm not good enough for her."

"No one is."

"Something we can agree on."

"Are you in love with her?" Gray asks after another long silence, his tone indicating that he knows the answer.

"Desperately."

"I don't understand." Gray shakes his head. "Where the fuck have you been, then?"

Jellal sighs.

"I've known Erza a long time, Gray. Even when I was possessed by Zeref, Seigrain kept tabs on her out of some undeniable impulse from the real me to keep her safe. My desire to protect her actually put her in more danger. She's spent her life fighting the monsters I created for her...she wears that armor because of me.

"And it's because I love her that I've stayed away, praying that she would find someone who would make her feel safe enough to retire that armor forever. Someone who could erase me from her past, make her stop guarding herself against me and all the pain I've caused her. When she brought you in on our operation, I knew you were that person."

"Wha–?!"

"She's different around you."

"She was using me to make you jealous." Gray points out like Jellal is an idiot.

"Obviously." Jellal chuckles. "That doesn't change the fact that she chose _you_ to do it. And even though it hurt, I was happy she had you. But then she kissed me after the battle with Acnologia, and I knew I could never give her up. I couldn't keep my distance anymore–"

"You're always gone!"

Their foreheads crash together like two rams.

"I've been trying to save enough money for the two of us to start a life together." Jellal grits out. "Forgive me for not having had as much time to amass a fortune as the rest of you!"

"Fortune?" Gray mocks.

"Everything looks like a fortune to someone without money." Jellal groans and rubs his temples. "The point is, Gray Fullbuster: I am determined to become the one she will retire her armor for. I will not surrender easily."

Gray grinds his teeth and punches the ground. "I really don't like you, ya know that?"

* * *

"Erza, I'm too sober for this. I can't tell her." Cana shakes her head as they exit the Fairy Hills building.

"Where's your wine?"

"In the dumpster."

Erza trips over her own feet with surprise. "In the dumpster?!"

"I don't need it anymore."

"Obviously, you do if you can't talk to your best friend without it."

"Good point. I don't _want_ it anymore."

Erza tests Cana's forehead for a fever, frowning when she doesn't find one.

"You're really not drunk right now?"

"I haven't had anything to drink for…" Cana starts counting on her fingers, then furrows her brows and counts again. "For over a month."

"A month?!"

"No wonder I have more money than ever." Cana laughs.

"What's going on?"

"I think it's Natsu." Cana smiles. "He just makes everything better."

"You think? He didn't ask you to stop drinking?"

"Of course not. He knew who I was when we got together."

"Amazing."

"He totally is."

"You're a love-sick fool." Erza chuckles.

"Damn right! Hey!" Cana protests when Erza gently slings her around onto her back and heads toward the forest.

"Erza, I can walk on my own, ya know." Cana assures her.

"Nonsense." Erza adjusts Cana on her back. "You cannot walk to Porlyusica's in your condition."

"Porlyusica's?! You already took care of my foot; why do I need to see her?"

"You're pregnant, of course."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

"That was Cana!" Lucy snaps her head toward Fairy Hills. "Maybe she's seen them!"

Within a minute, she and Loke have caught up to Erza and Cana, the latter of which is having a panic attack. Erza's hands grasp Cana's shoulders as she walks her through some breathing exercises to try to calm her down. Lucy and Loke hang back for a few minutes until Cana has finally started breathing normally again.

"Is everything okay, Cana?" Lucy asks softly. Cana takes one look at her and bursts into tears. "I'm sorry!" Lucy flaps her arms. "I didn't mean to!"

"It isn't you, Lucy." Erza tells her. "But you're not going to help the situation, either."

"Okay." Lucy nods her head, a little hurt. "But, uhm…I need to tell you something first."

"What is it?" Erza asks.

"Jellal's here."

Erza and Cana both snap their attention to Lucy.

"We've been looking for you for over half an hour."

"He can wait." Erza says firmly.

"Are you insane?!" Cana shouts. "Get your butt outta here!"

"I will not leave you."

"Lucy can take me."

Erza's eyes widen comically. "Lucy?"

"Yes." Cana nods her head once.

"O-of course." Lucy nods. "Whatever you want."

"She cannot carry you." Erza shakes her head.

"Loke can." Cana glares at Erza. "Now, go."

Erza narrows her eyes at Cana and Lucy. "Both of you have have given me orders today; I don't like it."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Sheesh, she's scary." Lucy whispers once Erza is out of sight.

"No kidding."

"Shall we go?" Loke asks as he leans over to scoop Cana into his arms.

"Wait; I have to tell Lucy something first."

When Cana just stares at Lucy like a frightened animal, Lucy says softly, "You can tell me, Cana."

"NatsuandIhavebeendatingforsixmonths." Cana says quickly, averting her eyes and blushing madly. "Please, don't hate me!"

"Cana!" Lucy chuckles and throws her arms around her friend. "I'm so happy for you!"

"You are?"

"Of course! Why would I hate you?"

"Because it's my fault that things didn't work out between the two of you!"

Lucy laughs from deep in her belly. "Cana, that just means you're responsible for clearing the path for Laxus–who I married."

"Why are you such a good person?" Cana pulls at Lucy's cheeks. "It's so frustrating!"

"Ow." Lucy pouts and rubs her cheeks.

"Lucy…Erza wasn't taking me to Porlyusica because of my foot."

"Huh?"

"She thinks I might be pregnant."

"WHA–?!" Lucy and Loke shout and fall over.

"Pregnant?" Lucy smiles and shakes her head. "I'm even happier for you!"

"Lucy!" Cana sobs. Lucy takes Cana's hand and squeezes it. "What if Natsu doesn't want to be a dad?"

Lucy's laugh echoes around them for several seconds, and when she finally calms down, tears are running down her face. "Are you kidding? He's going to be so ecstatic that he'll probably burn down the guild hall. He's going to be so attentive to you you'll get sick of him. I can see it now: rushing you to Porlyusica every time you have a hiccup, kicking out anyone who so much as sniffles near you, waking you up at three in the morning to ask if you're craving pickles and ice cream."

Cana laughs and her shoulders relax. "Thanks, Lucy."

"No problem, babe."

* * *

Erza's stomach churns until she's sure she's going to puke. Wouldn't that be perfect. She had hoped to talk to Lucy about her conclusions about Jellal, but that isn't possible now. Although, she supposes Lucy's advice wouldn't be any different than it was earlier: lay it all on the line and give him a choice. The idea makes Erza woozy, but she is determined to follow through.

Erza pushes open the front doors of the guild hall in her normal dramatic fashion, completely unaware of the tense silence that fills it. She scans quickly for someone, spotting him near the bar. She makes her way back to him quickly, startling him as she taps on his back.

"Warren."

"Y-yes?" He coughs.

"I have a mission for you."

"Sure."

"Use your telepathy to tell Jellal to meet me on the dock behind the guild hall." She leaves a generous amount of jewels on the bar next to him and makes her way through the back exit.

She barely has time to start pacing before Jellal appears before her, looking so discomposed and frantic that she barely recognizes him. She can't remember a time that he has ever shown so much emotion, and certainly never anxiety or panic.

"Are you okay?" Her mouth asks without permission from her brain.

"No." He shakes his head and gulps for breath. "No, Erza, I'm not o-fucking-kay."

"Uh..."

"I'm so in love with you it _hurts_ ," he clutches his gut, "and I'm a fucking idiot who's been too wrapped up in himself to see that I'm losing you, and–fuck." He closes the distance between them in a flash, cups her face in his hands, and kisses her.

All Erza can do is hold on to his shoulders for dear life. All of their kisses before this were perfectly controlled, just like Jellal. Even during their passionate make-out sessions, she never got a kiss like this one: wild, reckless, desperate. She gets the feeling that he is hanging on by a thread and he thinks she is the only one who can save him. It is a heady feeling for Erza, feeling not only needed but wanted by the man she also needs and wants.

When he finally pulls away, Erza is out of breath, but Jellal seems to have caught his.

"I'm so sorry, Erza. I know I don't deserve you, but I promise I'll never stop trying. I know I've made your life, and this relationship, so much more difficult and painful than it needed to be, and I'll never stop trying to make up for that. Please," his voice catches, "don't give up on me."

"I..." She bites her tongue to stop from immediately accepting him. She has to sort some things out with him first. "I have some bones to pick with you."

Jellal nods, a terrified but determined look on his face. She takes him by the hand and leads him down the dock, where she removes her shoes, rolls up her pants, and puts her feet in the water. Jellal smiles and follows suit, tentatively putting his arm around her shoulders, smiling when she leans into him and rests her head on him. He kisses the top of her head and softly asks,

"What is bone number one?"

"Where have you been all my life?" She asks sadly.

He sighs, and answers, "Hiding like a coward from my sins, cloaking it in some noble, self-sacrificing asceticism bullshit. There was a time that I even had myself convinced that I would be happy if you were with Gray."

"What?! When?"

Jellal smirks down at her and holds her tighter. "When you were using him to make me jealous." Even in the moonlight, he can see Erza's cheeks turn the color of her hair. He chuckles and kisses the tip of her nose. "Just for the record, that would make me very un-happy."

"That was a terrible thing for me to do. To both of you. Please forgive me?"

"Of course." He kisses her forehead.

"Where have you been since Lucy and Laxus's reception? Why didn't you show up with your guild today?"

"Before I begin, will you promise you'll let me finish?"

"Why wouldn't I let you finish?"

"There are going to be some things that...make you angry. I just need you to hear me all the way through, and if you still decide that you can't stand me, well...I'll figure out a way to accept that."

"Jella–hmmph!" She clears her throat. "Jellal, is there another woman?"

"What?" He looks at her, horrified. "Of course not!"

"Don't say it like that! You once told me you had a fiancée!"

"That was–that's not–ugh, that's idiotic; just like me." He shakes his head, then looks at Erza. "I never had a fiancée, Erza. In fact, there's never been another woman. Ever."

"H-h-how is that possible? You're a twenty-something male!"

Jellal chuckles. "Men are capable of keeping it in their pants, you know."

"Since when?"

"We've never–"

"I know!"

Jellal frowns. "Have you thought this whole time that–"

"Not this _whole_ time," Erza blushes. "Just the last few hours."

"Fuck." Jellal runs his hands over his face. "Erza, the fact that any doubt has been able to take root is my fault. If I'm not living so that you doubt your doubts before you doubt me, I'm doing something wrong. So, let's get back to these bones."

* * *

"Seriously, Juvia: you're joining the Raijinshu, right?" Laxus asks as they disembark from the train.

"She's joining Team Natsu!"

"She don't wanna hang out with that ice prick, ya idiot!"

"Oh...right." Natsu deflates. "Sorry, Juvi."

"It's okay, Natsu."

"Who's the ice prick?" Gray drawls.

All five Dragon Slayers form a menacing wall in front of Juvia, growling at Gray like a pack of ruthless wolves.

"Shit." Gray whispers, backing up a couple steps. He hates himself for doing it, but there is no way he can take five Dragon Slayers.

"Thank you," Juvia giggles as she walks around Rogue to stand in front of her Dragon Slayer wall. "That isn't necessary, though."

"You want us to rough him up?" Gajeel asks seriously.

"No, thank you, Gajeel." She turns to Gray, who looks warily between her and the Dragon Slayers. "Actually, do you have a minute before your train leaves?"

"Uh, yeah." He nods.

"No use, Juvia," Laxus says when she starts walking with Gray toward an empty corner of the station. "We can hear everything."

She sighs but smiles affectionately at them. "Just, try not to interrupt, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"Gray, I need to–"

"Juvia, I gotta–"

"-apologize to you." They finish together.

"What are you apologizin' for, Rain Woman?!" Gajeel shouts.

"Ssh!" She waves him off.

"He's right, Juvia," Gray says with shame in his voice. "What do you have to apologize for?"

"I don't even know your favorite color."

"Huh?!" Gray and the Dragon Slayers tilt their heads in unison.

"All these years, Gray, obsessing over you...stalking you. Never once did I actually think about _you_. You were just..." She moves her hands around like she's trying to grasp the right word. "...just an object. You took away the rain, and I decided that made you my soul mate." She scoffs and shakes her head. "Everything I did to try and win you over was calculated to keep the rain away, instead of draw you in. Making pillows and cookies and shower loufas that looked like you, or–."

"Wait, shower what?"

"Oh, uh, nothing!" She blushes. "Anyway, the point is, I never treated you like a human being. And I'm sorry for that. Please, forgive me?"

She holds out her hand for him to shake. He stares at it for a second, then steps forward and hugs her instead. He kisses her temple lightly, then says,

"Of course, I forgive you."

"Thank you, Gray." After a few moments of silence, Juvia says, "Uhm, I know now that I wasn't in love with you, Gray, but my body is still very attracted to yours, so could you, uh–."

Gray laughs and releases her from their hug.

"Thanks." She giggles.

"I, uhm...I'm sorry for stringing you along like I did."

"Gray–."

"I didn't do it on purpose, but that doesn't excuse it. I should have been clearer, and–."

"Gray." Juvia grabs his shoulders. "You _were_ clear. Many times. I just chose to ignore you."

Gray chews on the inside of his cheek, looking down at his feet. When he looks back at Juvia, he asks, "Forgive me anyway?"

"Of course. I forgive you. I'm sorry about Erza." Juvia says quietly after a few moments.

All the Dragon Slayers inhale sharply, but keep their thoughts to themselves.

"You know?"

"Yeah," she smiles kindly at him. "I spent the day with Jellal."

"Tch." He clucks irately.

Juvia laughs, surprising Gray. "I suppose you've taken a long solo mission?"

"Yeah."

The train whistles loudly and a voice comes over the loudspeakers, instructing all Northbound passengers to board.

"Well, I hope yours is as fruitful as mine was." She grins fondly back at the Dragon Slayers.

"Thanks." Gray hops onto one of the passenger cars, but turns suddenly in the doorway. "Hey," he smiles at Juvia, "it's blue."


	10. Chapter 10

"Erza. Erza, breathe." Jellal coaxes gently, clearly not wanting to startle her. He just finished telling her everything that has happened from his first confrontation with Gray two weeks ago to the one they had fifteen minutes ago, and Erza has yet to release the breath she is holding.

Erza exhales shakily and curls her knees into her chest to hide her face. She doesn't want him to see all the emotions she is feeling: guilt, pain, anguish, happiness, pride. She can't process them all right now, and she doesn't want him to know that. She's never wanted him to know that. He is always so stoic and composed and Erza has always tried to match him that way. It hasn't been difficult, as that is a natural part of her personality as well, but she has certainly held back at times when she hasn't wanted to in an effort not to disturb his zen.

 _Why? He's never asked you to do that. You're allowed to have feelings, dammit! As many as you want, whenever and however you want! Besides, he's just admitted to being anything but stoic and composed, not to mention how he showed up tonight._

 _Pay attention, Erza; he's still holding you, waiting for you. Not running, not hiding, not–_

"Give it to me, Erza." He says quietly. "I can handle all of it."

She looks up into his unwavering gaze, and with his arm heavy around her shoulders, she suddenly realizes that he _can_ take it. He can take everything she's carrying on her shoulders, in her heart, and he'll be able to take anything that may come up in the future.

She exhales again, and this time, she feels lighter and freer than she has in weeks. In fact, she starts giggling like a drunk, which draws an adorably surprised look from Jellal. She just can't help herself: she kisses him. He is startled at first, but Erza kisses him more insistently, until he moans into her mouth and threads his fingers through her hair. Erza reaches up to caress his face, making him hiss and draw back.

"What'd I do?"

"Not you," he is quick to reassure her with a kiss to her cheek. "Laxus."

"So you actually brawled with him?"

"Yes."

"Impressive."

Jellal chuckles. "He whupped me soundly."

"Oh, I doubt that." Erza smiles at him. "The last time he whupped someone soundly, Natsu was in a coma for a week. Speaking of them," she turns starry-eyed, "what are they doing? Lily won't even tell Levy!"

"They are searching for information on Dragon mates."

"Mates?"

"Gajeel is convinced that there is something special about Dragon Slayer mates, and he's got the rest of them worried about it, too."

"You don't sound convinced."

"I think Lucy already has the answer they're still looking for, and she doesn't seem concerned about losing Laxus." Jellal laughs quietly.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" Erza asks for the second time today.

"In a sense." He kisses her lightly then leans his forehead against hers. "I think we choose our soul mates."

That's the second time she's received that answer.

"You know," she says softly, "I decided not to wear my armor today because I thought it bothered you." Erza giggles at Jellal's stunned expression then sighs dramatically. "Never have I wanted to hide behind it more than I have today. That's how I know that it no longer protects me, but hurts me. The more I wanted it, the more I wanted to run away, to hide, and the more jumbled my thoughts became, until..." Erza blushes with embarrassment as she looks away. "Until I honestly couldn't remember you ever telling me that you loved me. In fact, I was convinced that you had never said it." She ventures a look at him and wants to cry at the wounded look on his face. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Erza." He kisses the back of her hand. "I'm the one who is sorry. If I said it so seldom that you can't recall, it is my fault."

"No, Jellal; it's mine. I let doubts take root and choke out the truth."

Jellal smiles and kisses her.

"The last time I told you I love you was sixteen days ago. You were furious at having been eliminated from the splatterball contest."

Erza grunts and crosses her arms, making Jellal laugh.

"So I took you into the forest and did this." He grabs her head in both hands and kisses her fiercely. When he finally pulls away, Erza is short of breath and has to blink several times to correct her vision. "Then I said, 'It's okay if you're a loser, babe; I still love you.' Ow!" He rubs his arm and laughs. "You pinched me then, too."

"You deserved it."

"If you say so." He laughs.

Erza shakes her head as a multitude of memories just like it flood her brain; there was nothing 'seldom' about how often Jellal professed his love to her. He didn't always profess it verbally, but he professed it in his actions and behavior, his very being. Erza feels like scum for allowing that fact to be occluded by her doubts. She feels so awful that she is even tempted to blame Gray, but that wouldn't be fair, either. No, she made her choices, and now she has to live with them.

"Do you still love me?" She questions quietly.

"Forever."

"I remember the first time you told me." Erza leans her head against his shoulder. "It was right after the battle with Acnologia, while I was in the hospital."

"Nope." Jellal shakes his head.

"What do you mean, 'nope'? You wouldn't have said it before then."

"The first time I told you I loved you, you were about six years old."

Erza gasps quietly.

"I had been listening to you cry for almost an hour–you snapped at me and everyone else to leave you alone when we tried to comfort you. But when you fell asleep, I snuck over to you; brushed your hair away from your face;" he mimics his words, ghosting his thumb over her cheek, "kissed you;" he kisses her chastely on the mouth, then puts his lips near her ear, "and whispered, 'Erza Scarlet, I'll love you 'til the day I die.'"

"Oh, Jellal."

"That's why there's never been another woman, Erza. I'm a thoroughly committed man."

Erza stares at him in dumbfounded amazement, then frowns. "If Laxus hadn't broken you, I'd tear your clothes off right here."

Jellal laughs loudly, the sound bouncing off the water, and hugs Erza tightly. "And I'd have to stop you."

"Why, dammit?!"

Jellal laughs even harder at Erza's puffy cheeks then gives her a peck on the lips. "I made a promise to Grandpa Rob."

"You what?!"

"I didn't completely understand it at the time." Jellal gives Erza a heated look and takes in her entire body before returning to her face. "And if I'd known how difficult it would be to keep such a promise, I would have declined."

"How much longer are you gonna make me w–?"

Erza stops breathing. Jellal is holding a simple silver band with a small diamond in front of her.

"That depends on you: are you still against eloping?" He smirks.

* * *

Gajeel bursts through the guild hall doors, sniffing the air even as he searches with his eyes. He zeroes in on Levy, who barely has time to smile before Gajeel has crossed the hall and started kissing her like he might never have the chance again. He slides his hands into her hair so that he won't slide them over the rest of her body in front of the whole guild. He's not sure how long he kisses her, only that Laxus is the one to stop them. Gajeel wants to pound the Lightning Slayer's face in with an iron pipe, but Levy's words stop him.

"Thanks, Laxus." She barely manages to whisper, and Gajeel notices that her lips are slightly blue.

"Dragon lungs, man." Laxus thumps Gajeel on the chest with a knuckle. "She needs to come up for air more often than you do."

"Holy sh–Levy, I'm so sorry!" Gajeel hugs her.

"Now we know." She giggles. "I'm mostly surprised it hasn't happened before."

"You gotta be careful with CPR, too." Rogue offers. "You could overfill the person's lungs and make them burst."

"Who knew there were downsides to Dragon Slayers?" Natsu muses.

"WE DID!" The whole guild shouts.

"Go back to drinking, you lousy sots." Laxus says back. "And where the hell is Wendy?!"

"Lily said she's at Lamia Scale." Levy informs them.

The Dragon Slayers all groan dramatically and slump into the nearest chairs.

"Mira!" Laxus calls over to the demon. "Keep 'em comin'. Natsu, call Wendy and find out when she's coming back."

Gajeel drags Levy over to him so that she is sitting on his lap. He kisses her again, less frenzied but no less desperate. He runs his fingers through her blue locks, peripherally enjoying just how soft her hair is. Playing with her hair is one of his favorite things to do. He often finds himself doing it without consciously making the decision to do so.

Fuck, what is he going to do if Levy isn't his mate?

 _She_ is _my mate! I refuse to believe otherwise._

Gajeel's heightened senses pick up Natsu's quickened heart rate and he looks at the Dragon Slayer just as his nose shoots up into the air and sniffs. The rest of the Dragon Slayers follow suit then they all snap their heads toward the front of the guild where Wendy is just stepping through the doors.

"WENDY!" They all shout.

"AAAHHH!" She jumps, losing her footing on the steps and falls flat on her face.

"Wendy!" Natsu leaps across the hall to his fallen teammate. He picks her up and dusts her off. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." She blushes with embarrassment. "I hate it when I do that."

"Dragon Slayer convention!" Natsu drags her back outside by the wrist, signaling the other Dragon Slayers to follow them.

"I love you so much." Gajeel looks sadly at Levy before kissing her again.

"Gajeel." She gently strokes his cheek and he can't help but turn his face in her palm so that he can kiss it. "Are you okay?"

"No." He says in a rare moment of emotional honesty then sets her on her feet. "I'll be back in a minute."

"What's goin' on, guys?" Wendy asks nervously as they all take a seat on the grass. "Is everything okay, Natsu?"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Laxus teases.

Wendy smiles. "You always look upset, Laxus."

"You're gettin' a little big for your britches there, kid."

"Banter later." Gajeel growls. "This is serious."

"Wow, what did I miss?"

"Wendy," Natsu pleads, "tell us you know something about Dragon Slayer mates."

Gajeel and the others all hold their breath as they stare at the young teenager.

"Well, yeah, but Grandeena said–."

The male Dragon Slayers all let out a series of whoops and hollers that mesh together in a hair-raising cacophony. Before they can finish, Erik and Kinana have joined the party.

"What the hell is this?" Erik drawls.

"Sit down and shut up!" Gajeel snarls.

"Kinana," Laxus says kindly. "Dragon Slayers only."

She looks a little taken aback but smiles, nods, and goes inside the guild hall. Erik takes a seat next to Sting and looks curiously at each of the other Dragon Slayers.

"Tell us everything, Wendy," Laxus says.

"How do you know who your mate is?" Gajeel demands.

Wendy looks at him, confused. "Why don't you guys tell me what you know and I'll fill in the blanks?"

"Igneel only said that he would explain to me when I got older."

"All I remember is Metallicana saying that Dragon Slayer mates are made for them."

Wendy blushes when she can't stifle her laugh. "Sorry! I'm sorry, Gajeel."

"I don't get it." Gajeel looks between Wendy and the other Dragon Slayers, but the men only shrug.

"It's just that Grandeena said male dragons like to feel special when really they're just lazy and insecure."

"WHA-?!"

"I don't agree with her!" Wendy waves her arms in front of her, her face turning red. "I'm sorry, that was rude."

"It's okay, Wendy." Laxus reassures her. "We want to know everything Grandeena said."

"Well...she said that Dragons and people are tempted to believe in Fate and soul mates and 'bologna' like that because it removes their responsibility in a relationship. If it doesn't work out, it just wasn't meant to be. She said beings give up their power to choose because of their insecurities about themselves and their own power and responsibility. If the Universe, Fate, whoever, made a decision without them about who they belong with then the Universe has to be the one to provide.

"But, really, we get to choose who we think mates best with our souls. It's hard work, since we can't rely on the Universe to maintain our connection with our soul mates, but at least we never have to worry that someone will come along that will make us or our soul mates be unfaithful because 'Destiny' made a decision without us."

The men stare at her attentively, like they're waiting for her to continue.

"Uh…that's it?" Wendy looks at each of them in turn. "Your soul mate is anyone you're willing to put in the work for."

"I think your britches are just the right size, Wendy." Laxus smiles at her.

Wendy beams.

"Is there a...mating ritual?" Sting asks timidly.

"Sort of, you just–."

Natsu covers Wendy's ears and shoots an outraged glare at Sting.

"Geez, man! She's barely thirteen!"

"Natsu, it's okay." Wendy shouts a little, trying to remove his hands from her ears but to no avail.

"No, it isn't, Wendy! You're too young—!"

"I know what sex is." She shouts a little louder.

"For fu—uhdges sake, Natsu, let go of her!" Laxus demands. "Someone's gonna hear her and call us in as perverts!"

Natsu moves his hands from Wendy's ears to her shoulders, leveling her with a serious stare. "Wendy, why do you know what sex is?"

"Erza and Lucy told me about it."

"What? Why would they do that?!"

"Well, I started my per—."

"Stop!" The Dragon Slayers beg.

Natsu looks at them all like they're crazy. "It's just her period."

"No offense, kid, but it's bad enough I gotta smell it on all the women in the guild, I don't wanna talk about it, too." Gajeel snorts like he's trying to get the scent out of his nose.

"Amen." The others chorus.

"I'm just saying, I know about it." Wendy pouts a little. "I can be an adult if you guys can."

The men all look at each other uncomfortably before looking at Wendy with even more discomfort, and Gajeel finally says, "I should've brought Levy."

"This was a bad idea." Laxus concurs.

"You're all wondering about the dragon mating ritual, right?" Wendy crosses her arms. "Do you want to know what Grandeena said, or not?"

"She told you about _mating_?" Natsu is flabbergasted.

"Mating isn't just about sex, you know!" Wendy shouts in exasperation.

"Keep it down, Wendy!" Laxus looks around nervously.

"Stop saying that word!" Gajeel says at the same time.

Wendy giggles despite her irritation with the three then uses her finger to cross her heart. "This will be an entirely appropriate discussion for six men to have with a thirteen-year-old girl." She waits until they are all looking at her before saying, "You just get married."

The Dragon Slayers drop their jaws. "That's it?"

"Don't say it like that; it's kind of a big deal," Wendy says.

"Yeah, but…" Gajeel's studded brows furrow as he thinks. "It's so simple."

"That's how everyone does it!" Natsu shouts. "Igneel made it sound like it was some complicated thing!"

"Nope." Wendy chirps. "I guess it doesn't have to be marriage, either, just some sort of ceremony that declares your intentions."

"Wendy," Laxus looks at her. "Did you have this conversation with Lucy?"

"Yeah."

"I gotta go."

* * *

"What is she doing way out here?" Laxus mumbles as he follows Lucy's scent into the forest. Even if Wendy had had more to say, he wouldn't have had the patience to focus on it; he _must_ see Lucy or he's going to die, he's sure of it.

"She and Loke are taking Cana to Porlyusica's."

"How do you know that?"

"I can smell it," Natsu says as though he's concerned about Laxus's health. "Cana's bleeding."

"My nose isn't my strong suit."

"Obviously."

Laxus broods at the thought of Cana and Lucy spending time together. He never had a problem with it before, but Cana had never threatened to expose their time as friends-with-benefits before, either. That was something neither of them really wanted going around the guild or beyond, so they had agreed to keep it secret. Actually, Laxus is very pissed that she would hold something like that over him.

As he steps into the clearing in front of Porlyusica's home, he freezes.

"...definitely pregnant."

Though Porlyusica's door and windows are closed, he heard her voice clearly.

 _Holy shit! It's actually happening this time!_

"Cana!" Lucy's voice squeaks. "I'm so happy for you!"

Laxus's heart drops to his stomach.

"Son of a bitch!" He shouts just as Natsu sends a column of flame shooting straight into the sky.

"WA-HOO!"

"Laxus?" Lucy bursts from Porlyusica's door. "Natsu?"

"Watch my hinges, girly!"

Laxus's brain short-circuits as soon as he sees Lucy. He picks her up, pins her against a tree, and kisses her cross-eyed. She doesn't even protest when he cups her ass and starts palming her breast. It isn't until he is doused with water that he comes back to his senses.

"You're worse than your grandfather." Porlyusica says with disgust, hitting him with one more squirt from the spray bottle.

"Damn, Lucy!" Cana whistles.

Loke is looking at his feet, but still can't hide that his face and neck are as red as beets.

Laxus groans and reluctantly pulls away from Lucy and sets her on her feet. He keeps his arm around her shoulders, though, unwilling to relinquish her completely.

"N-no kidding." Lucy manages to respond.

"Cana." Natsu is uncharacteristically calm, though his whole body is shaking with the effort of keeping himself on the ground. "Are you...are we having...a baby?"

She bites her lip, smiles, and nods her head.

Natsu grins wide and starts bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I probably shouldn't spin you around, right?"

"Do it and I'll kill you." Porlyusica promises.

"Cana. Please, can I kiss you? Like, _kiss you_ kiss you, not–."

"Get your ass over here, Natsu."

Natsu is wrapped around her in less than a second, pressing her against Porlyusica's house.

"You let Natsu become a dad before me?" Laxus pouts.

Lucy is stunned for a few moments, then raises her eyebrow at Laxus. "That's a two-way street, ya know."

"I know," Laxus grins wickedly. "We're going to have to stop being so careful when we cross it."

Lucy swallows thickly and barely nods her head.

"You knew about Dragon Slayer mates."

"You knew about Natsu and Cana."

Laxus winces. Lucy laughs.

"Cana told me she blackmailed you. What she forgot is that I already knew you two used to hook up."

"Wha–?! How did she forget that?"

Lucy giggles. "She told me at our "I survived the Thunder Palace" girls-night-in and she was a lot drunker than usual. Being turned to stone made us wanna experience life...ironic that we can't remember those experiences."

"You remember that I slept with Cana."

"Oh, that would be pretty difficult to forget." Lucy laughs. "She said that 'thunder mountain' was a hell of a climb."

"Do you agree?" Laxus asks Lucy seductively, though he is blushing with some embarrassment.

"No." Lucy cruelly lets him hang on that for a moment before finishing with, "You're mindblowing."

Laxus kisses her almost-ferociously, then says, "I hate it when you do that."

"Mmmm, but I love it when you do that. Hey!" Lucy turns on Porlyusica and her spray bottle.

"Don't encourage him."

"Loke, you comin' with us?" Lucy asks Laxus lifts her onto his shoulders.

"Yeah." He nods.

"Peace out, ya old bat." Laxus smirks at Porlyusica before taking off at full speed.

"OLD BAT?!" She screeches.

"A little warning, man!" Loke laughs from a few yards behind. "She almost took my head off!"

They are quickly joined by Natsu, who is carrying Cana on his back. They are laughing hysterically, and the others catch their contagion quickly.

They finally slow down as they near the guild hall.

"Hey, is that Erza and Jellal?" Cana whispers as they near the guild hall. "Quick! Natsu, what are they saying?"

Lucy gasps, then looks down at Cana with wide eyes. "Do you see that?!"

"Lucy...It's really happening!"

The four mages gasp as Erza shakes her head slightly, then watch in confusion as she holds up her hand for Jellal to slide the ring onto it. Their ensuing kiss is like in the old movies: chaste, and awkward, and long.

"BOO!" Cana cups her hands around her mouth. "WHERE'S THE TONGUE?!"

Erza and Jellal are standing before them in a flash, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"How dare you interrupt my engagement kiss?" Erza demands.

"Oh, shit." Cana whispers.

"When's the wedding?" Lucy asks excitedly, ignoring the tension.

"Immediately." Erza states. "And Lucy, I wish you to be my maid of honor."

"Matron." Laxus corrects defensively.

"Don't ever call me that again." Lucy threatens.

"You're married, and I don't want anyone thinking otherwise." Laxus crosses his arms over his chest.

"I am not an old lady!"

"This isn't about either of you!" Erza snaps, making Lucy and Laxus jump to attention. "Jellal and I are going to talk to Master Makarov. I expect the guild hall to be reasonably clean and ready for our elopement in half an hour."

"I can do better than that, Erza." Lucy jumps from Laxus's shoulders. "Loke, Code Purple."

Loke grins then disappears.

"In half an hour, you'll have the froo-froo girly wedding you've always wanted, and the whole guild will be there." Lucy gives Erza a huge hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Not the whole guild." Laxus points out.

"Who?"

"Gray took a train outta here twenty minutes ago." Natsu says.

Laxus is surprised that Jellal seems almost as deflated as Erza at the news. If Laxus were in Jellal's shoes, he'd be washing his hands of the man.

"Do you want me to go get him?" Jellal offers, again blowing Laxus away.

 _It's not so far-fetched. Jellal loves Erza and wants her to be happy. You work with Team Natsu to make Lucy happy. It's the natural order._

"No." Erza shakes her head. "I've hurt him enough. It would be cruel to make him attend." After a tense moment, Erza breaks into jumping jacks, making everyone else sweatdrop. When she finishes, she grins at Jellal and says, "Let's go see the Master."

"Uh, Laxus?" Jellal stops Laxus from following the ladies and Natsu through the back door of the guild hall.

"Yeah?"

Jellal is quiet for so long that Laxus almost asks him what his problem is. "Will you be my best man?"

Laxus rubs his hand across his shoulder and grunts. "Why me?"

"Well, I was going to ask Lucy, but my fiancée beat me to her." He only half-jokes. "If not for you, though, I don't know if even Lucy could have gotten through to me."

Laxus chuckles. "She would've found a way."

"Perhaps." Jellal nods. "So?"

"Yeah, man, of course I will."

"Thank you." Jellal smiles and opens the door for Laxus.

A riotous shout hits them in the face and a chant of "Jerza! Jerza!" shakes the building.

Laxus claps Jellal on the back. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

 **El fin**

 **Epilogue to follow**


	11. Epilogue

Jellal awakes slowly, his eyes blinking against the first rays of sunlight filtering in through the window next to the bed. Erza is still asleep next to him, her mane of red hair half-covering his face. He inhales deeply and wraps his arm more tightly around his wife's waist. He wants to stay like this for the rest of his life, but forces himself to untangle his limbs from Erza's. He kisses her bare shoulder, tasting the salt from the sweat of last night's exertions. He groans softly, wanting to wake her for another round, but it's her day off and he has somewhere to be.

He pads silently across what used to be Lucy's room and pulls some workout clothes from the dresser. Ten minutes later, he is walking toward the guild hall. He and Lucy have a training session this morning that is going to require them to hike a little; their power is too great to wield at its fullest so close to civilization. Though he has had to leave Erza, Jellal is looking forward to this training. He needs a good spar but, even more, he needs Lucy's company.

He smiles as he rounds the back of the guild hall and sees Lucy standing on the shore with Plue in her arms. She grins and waves enthusiastically at him, walking to meet him at the head of the path they will be taking.

"Good morning!"

"Morning."

"I can't tell you how excited I am to _finally_ be training with you again!" Lucy squeaks. "I'm feelin' super rusty."

"Likewise." Jellal nods.

They walk in comfortable silence for several minutes before Jellal gets up the courage to talk.

"Lucy, what do I do about Gray?"

She hums in acknowledgement of his question but it is a long time before she speaks.

"What do you want to happen?"

"I..." He sighs. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't...uncomfortable having someone who has confessed his love to my wife be her teammate. But I know that the reality is that Erza and I are solid, and Gray handled his confession about as honorably as a man could, and he won't try to create discord now that Erza and I are married. I can't honestly say that I want to be his friend, but I do want to make sure Erza doesn't feel awkward when we're all around each other."

"Well...look, Gray has a cool, sometimes even icy, exterior, but he feels things deeply. He also has the curse and the blessing of preferring to process those feelings on his own, which is probably what he's doing right now. I'm sure that he's going to feel the sting of everything that happened for a long time, but I'm also sure that he wants the same thing as you: to make Erza happy. So, I think the best course of action would be to sit down with him and just be honest. Not over a drink, though!"

Jellal chuckles and nods his head. "Do you think he'll sit down with me?"

"I think whenever he comes back, his first order of business is going to be trying to square things with you. He won't want to let things remain hostile."

"That's a relief. Thank you, Lucy."

"No problem!"

It is nearly two in the afternoon by the time Lucy and Jellal return from their training session. They are both covered in sweat, their hair sticking to their faces, their clothes clinging to their bodies. They are both slightly sunburned, as well. Too tired to return to their homes to shower, they go directly to the guild hall, where they are given a wide berth on their way to the bar, and everyone near scrunches up their noses at them.

"Mira." Lucy calls hoarsely.

"Oh, my!" Mira looks at Lucy and Jellal for a split second then brings them each a water bottle. "I'll make you both a protein smoothie."

"Thank you, Mira." Jellal says.

He and Lucy both rest their heads on their arms at the same time, exhausted, but smiling at each other. Lucy slowly forms a fist and slides her hand toward Jellal, who does the same, and they give each other the weakest fist bump in history.

"What do you think, Titania?" Laxus asks as he steps behind Lucy. "What should their punishment be?"

"For what?" Lucy asks lazily.

"For stealing our spouses." Erza answers. "On a Saturday morning of all times."

"WAKABA!" Natsu shouts across the room, drawing everyone's attention. Even Jellal and Lucy lift their heads to see what's wrong. "PUT OUT THAT FUCKING PIPE OR I'LL BARBEQUE YOU AND FEED YOU TO YOUR WIFE!"

"That kind of language is more toxic to your baby than any smoke."

Natsu roars and leaps across the guild hall, drawing a high-pitched scream from Wakaba. Before Natsu can land a fiery punch, though, he is stopped mid-air by Gray, who now has both hands on Natsu's shoulders and is staring at him disbelievingly.

"You...you're having a baby?" Gray asks.

"Yeah, man, where have you–oh right!" Natsu beams suddenly, remembering that Gray has been gone for a month. "Cana and I are havin' a baby!"

Gray laughs and throws his arms around Natsu. "Congratulations!"

"I can hear her heartbeat and everything!" Natsu chitters excitedly. "IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER!"

"Wow, a girl? You can hear her heartbeat already?"

"Well, Porlyusica says we can't possibly know for another two months, but she smells like a girl to me. And she said the heart starts working only three weeks after conception. I knew I was hearing something funny before Cana even knew she was pregnant; I just didn't know what."

"I can't believe you're gonna be a dad!" Gray laughs again. "I'm not sure if I'm elated or terrified."

"Be both!" Natsu says brightly. "I am! Come on, Cana and I are sitting over here."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Jellal sits up straight as Gray makes his way over. Erza, Lucy, and Laxus all wait with baited breath. He briefly acknowledges Lucy and Erza first, giving them a bright grin that Jellal knows is rare for the man. Then he turns to Jellal.

"Can I speak with you?"

"Sure."

Gray uses his head to indicate that Jellal should follow him, then heads toward an unoccupied table in the far corner of the guild hall. Jellal proceeds slower than he would have liked, but his legs are still wobbly from training with Lucy. He and Gray take chairs on opposite sides of the table, facing each other. They are both quiet for a while, and though Jellal has things he wants to say, Gray is the one who called this meeting, so he waits.

"I've been trying to figure out how to say this for weeks and I still can't figure it out." Gray sighs and rubs the back of his head. "I hate that I messed with Erza's head...and her heart. I was so sick of seeing her so miserable, but I only added to her misery. She looks happy now, though." He glances over to Erza, who is watching their conversation intensely, then back to Jellal. "I'm glad you proved me wrong."

After a few moments, Jellal asks, "Are you–?"

"Still in love with Erza?" Gray winces.

Jellal chuckles, making Gray's eyebrows shoot up. "I don't need to ask that question to know the answer. I was going to ask if you're hungry? We're about to sit down to lunch."

"That's it?" Gray asks. "You're not gonna demand that I leave Team Natsu, or that Erza does? You're not gonna threaten me or anything?"

"Gray, do you really think Erza would remain my wife if I tried to break up her team? Even if I wanted to–which I do not–I would be too afraid to broach the subject. As for threatening you...I don't feel the need. I know you're an honorable man and I trust you."

"Oh. Um...thanks." Gray rubs his shoulder and looks awkwardly at the table for a moment.

"But, mostly I trust Erza." Jellal adds with a smirk.

"Good call."

Jellal and Gray rise in silence, exchange a brief handshake, then start walking back to the bar. Erza is grinning at them, Lucy is crying, and Laxus looks like he's just had a two-ton boulder removed from his shoulders.

Just a few feet from their destination, Gray sneezes.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE GUILD HALL, ICE PRINCESS!" Natsu bellows, blocking Cana with his body.

"Natsu, it doesn't work like that." Cana tells him.

"It was just a sneeze, Natsu! I'm not sick."

"GET OUT!" Natsu lunges for Gray and the two tumble violently to the ground.

"So." Erza backs Jellal into the bar, trapping him with her arms. Her chest brushes lightly against his, making his breath hitch and that uncontrollable thing between his legs twitch. "You trust me, huh?"

Can she read lips? He knows he and Gray weren't talking that loud. How did she–oh yeah, Laxus has super-hearing.

"Answer me, Jellal." Erza uses a tone that he only ever hears in the bedroom.

All he can manage is a nod and a strangled, "Mm-hmm."

"Enough to let me blindfold you when we get home?"

"Okay, that's enough of that." Laxus shakes his head and picks Lucy up over his shoulder.

"Hey, you Neanderthal!" She protests, but she is still weak from training, too.

Jellal crushes his lips against Erza's until she whimpers, then practically drags her out of the guild hall. Once they are outside, Jellal pins Erza to the wall, his weight on his left arm leaning above her head while his right hand traces her collarbone through her t-shirt. Her cheeks are the color of her hair and she is biting the corner of her lip.

"Mmm," Jellal runs his thumb over her lip, "that's my job."

"Jell–!"

Jellal swallows her outburst, kissing her with an almost desperate need. "Now, tell me about this blindfold."

* * *

 **Thanks to all you for sticking with me. I know it was a rough story, not just because Grayza is the worst, but because I'm still new enough to fanfic that I don't always know what I'm doing or how to accomplish what I want with my writing. Thanks again!**


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